Movie Star
by Kalasin
Summary: He’s the most sought after actor in Japan, and she, a rising star. Put together for the first time in a movie, will they fall in love for real? KK editing process
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Well basically, I wouldn't be writing this in fanfiction prose if I could just make a new manga for RK.one where Sano wouldn't have a freaking beardie-weardie!

Story title: Movie Star

Summary: He's the most sought after actor in Japan, and she, a rising star. Put together for the first time in a movie, will they fall in love for real! K/K

by Kalasin

Chapter One: This is the Theater

_You have clicked on the story entitled, Movie Star. The title turns purple, and you get one last glimpse of the other story titles before the entire page disappears and in its place is the first chapter.  
_

_  
You try to move the page up and down with the mouse, but to no avail! A moment later, you're seated in a red, comfortable armchair, with a bucket of popcorn on your lap!  
_

_  
You look up, stunned. In front of you is a huge, silver screen, though little by little, the silver is being dominated by other colors. Music rings in your ears, and the lights go out. The movie is beginning._

**M.S.1.**

Kamiya Kaoru flopped down on her couch. It was 3:25 in the afternoon and she had just come home from an interview with a teen magazine about the last movie she had made. It wasn't a huge motion picture, but a lot of people were impressed by the plot, and it had been a fun project to work on.

Settling herself deeper into her couch, she felt a little cold and sleepy- and no wonder, because as she turned her head, she caught the first few drops of rain fall on the busy city, splattering on her large apartment window.

She decided to take a nap and was just about to doze off when something caught her eye. A small stack of papers were neatly stapled and laid on the coffee table next to her. On it was a post-it note form her cousin, Seta Soujirou. He had begun living with her in her apartment after coming home from his studies abroad.

The note said that he hoped she wasn't too tired and that he had gone off to visit the next person who wanted him to build them a webpage. Just before he had left, a messenger had come to give the bundle of papers addressed to her.

Curiosity shone in Kaoru's big blue eyes. "Is this what I think it is?" she wondered out loud. She picked up the pile of papers, and it was confirmed that it was another script! Kaoru felt like a silly little girl.

She was no big star, and of what she knew her fan club was not even half of Japan's population. She had worked with a few famous ones here and there, but had no major projects, yet. Scripts for movies came at irregular intervals, but now, why it had only been two months since she filmed Pain and now some director wanted her for another movie? What a surprise!

Kaoru gasped. Scratch that! It wasn't just any director who wanted her in the film. She had flipped the pages and scanned them. Next to the word director, was the name, Shinomori Aoshi, who was as big in Japan as Spielberg was in America. She hardly noticed she was gaping at the name when the cordless rang beside her.

She picked it up, voice hoarse in shock. "Hey, Kaoru; it's Soujirou! Listen, I'm at the grocery, anything you need? Chips? Fries? Hello? Hello? Um, Kaoru?"

Soujirou frowned at his cellphone before putting it back on his ear, wondering what was wrong with his cousin. "KAORU!"

"Oh, Soujirou, I'm so happy! I can't believe this! They want me! I'm so happy!"

Soujirou grinned on the other line. "I'm happy for you too, Kaoru!"

"Arigatou, Soujirou! Mou, isn't this great!"

"Yes, it is!"

"It's going to be wonderful! What a great surprise!"

"Um, Kaoru.?"

"Yeah?"

"What exactly is it that we are so happy about?"

Kaoru sat up on the couch. "The papers they sent me, Soujirou, it's the script for Shinomori's new movie! And I'm going to play a part in it!"

Soujirou couldn't believe it. "That IS great, Kaoru! Who else are you working with?"

Kaoru flipped through the pages and stopped at the list of the cast. "Let's see. Takani Megumi…Sagara Sanosuke… and…"

"And? Hello? Have you spaced out again?"

"H-hi-himura…Himura Kenshin."

There was complete and utter silence.

**M.S.1.**

Meanwhile, infamous, handsome and talented Himura Kenshin sat with his head in his hands. The first part of the day had been pretty good. He had dropped by a friend's house where he met up with Okina and some other people, just to have brunch together. It was rare for Kenshin to have some time without being mobbed and he treasured the moments spent with the people close to him.

He smiled fondly at the memory, but only for a while. One person wasn't at the party, and it had been his fiancée, Tomoe. He sighed. Months into the engagement and suddenly the wedding was off. He tugged at his long red hair, the hair craved for by all his female fans, and winced at the small pain.

"Mad at your hair, or something?" Hiko entered the room and smiled. "What's wrong, food at Okina's not good enough?" His manager shut the door to his dressing room behind him.

"Just thinking." He gave Hiko a small smile. "What's on my schedule this evening?"

"Autograph signing at the newly opened movie house at eight."

Kenshin nodded and tried not to groan. After all, it was part of his job, and he didn't want personal matters to get in the way, despite the fact that for the past month his fan e-mail had been filled with apologies about his broken love life and proposals of marriages from both his male and female fans. "Okay. Thanks, Hiko."

"No problem. Try not to be grumpy, eh?"

This time Kenshin sighed and shook his head. "I'm never grumpy to my fans, Hiko. I'm taking a shower. I'll be ready in a while."

Hiko watched the actor go, and then it was his turn to shake his head. The guy was clearly unaware that when in public, though still poised, polite, funny and courteous, his eyes were amber and his tone more stiff, his manner more sharp though still with an undeniable amount of charm.

"Kuso." Hiko swore. He'd forgotten to tell Kenshin about Shinomori wanting him for a new movie. The man sighed. "Guess I'll holler it at him while he's in the shower."

**M.S.1.**

Aoshi tapped his fingers as he watched his telephone closely. Why hadn't any of the actors he wanted for his new movie called? After all, he too had a deadline, and he was eager to talk to two of them.

When Sagara's manager called, he planned to demand for Sano and challenge him for a game of cards in his usual ice-cold manner.

And Kenshin he would talk to solemnly.

**A/N: Please review, and yes, Battousai likes fame more than Kenshin does, so he grabs all public opportunities to show himself. **


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I want to own Harry Potter, the Wheel of Time, The Lord of the Rings, the Sandman, the Chronicles of Narnia, the Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Gensomaden Saiyuki, Card Captor Sakura, Fushigi Yuugi, Rurouni Kenshin and many more...but as if that's ever going to happen!  
  
A/N: Everyone needs a hiatus...sorry for the delay, everyone. There were a whole lot of things that I had to deal with, and I can assure you they were more important than this, though not necessarily as enjoyable. So. Enjoy this.  
  
Chapter Two: Decisions  
  
Autographs...So many autographs. Kenshin flexed his hand in his sleep and groaned when he felt a nudge on his shoulder. He recognized Hiko's gruff voice and wearily opened his eyes. They were inside his Lexus, which had just halted to a stop. He glanced at his watch. The autograph session had ended at one A.M. and afterwards he had to attend a photo shoot, which lasted two hours, and he had only fallen asleep for thirty minutes since.  
  
Oh, yes, fame was a most relaxing thing.  
  
"We're here?" He asked his manager who looked fresh and energetic compared to him. Kenshin's slacks were, by this time, crumpled and his once neat shirt was half undone and his hair was a mess. He started to fix his clothes and put back his black Armani jacket as he stepped out of his car.  
  
"Uh, Hiko, this isn't where I live..."  
  
***@***  
  
In Kaoru's little kitchen, her gown was her sleeping robe; her stilettos were her huge, furry Tweety slippers and only Misao represented her audience. "You know, Kaoru, the way you're pacing? It doesn't seem like you've just been asked to act in what will possibly be the greatest movie of the year."  
  
"Just because I've been asked to do so, doesn't mean I will, Misao." She continued to pace around the kitchen, her slippers making hush-hush sounds on the yellow- and- white tiles. She held out a hand to stop Misao and continued. "It's not that I don't want to, you know. I just don't think I'm ready for it."  
  
Misao stared at her in disbelief. It was a nice day, only nine A.M. to be exact, and a nervous Kaoru had called Misao to come over after telling her the big news. Misao had thought that that would call for a shopping spree, a girls' night out, even, but instead it turned out her friend was in dire need of a pep talk.  
  
"What do you mean, 'I don't think I'm ready for it?' When the hell are you going to be ready for it, then? Kaoru, this is a once- in- a- lifetime thing! Shinomori-san may never consider you as a potential actress in any of his future films if you refuse now!!!"  
  
Kaoru rolled her eyes. She'd thought about that, too, and as usual her mind had come up with an opposing idea to every thought she had come up with.  
  
"Oh, I've considered that, too, but think about it!" She cocked her head to the right and her bright blue eyes looked up at the ceiling for a moment before they focused on where Misao sat around the small, three-legged dining table.  
  
"If he really wants me to be in his movies so badly, he won't mind if I refuse now! He'll keep asking me, until I've got into other movies that will add up to my experience!"  
  
Misao narrowed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "What are you talking about? THIS will be your greatest experience in acting, Kaoru! Of course Shinomori-san won't come after you if you refuse! You know he won't! But if you agree to this part, and he finds you good, that'd be great! Every other director in Japan would want you!"  
  
Kaoru slumped her shoulders. "I'd be way too busy, then. If that happens, what about Soujirou? He'll be alone here more, and then I'd have less time for him and everything else! These types of productions call for late-night shoots unlike the small-time movies I've starred in so far! Critics will be judging me before I have something for them to judge, because I won't be ready! I mean, what if I underact, or overact? What if I mess up all my lines, and someone in the cast hates me? What if..."  
  
"What if you never have any other chance like this? What if you wait your entire life for the right movie, never knowing THIS was the right one!" Misao sighed and looked Kaoru up and down carefully. "Kamiya Kaoru! You're getting..."  
  
Misao's face split into a grin. "You're getting insecure, aren't you? I never thought I'd live to see this day! Cheerful, headstrong Kaoru turned paranoid! Boy, wait 'till my brother hears about this!"  
  
Kaoru's jaw dropped in shock and she wasted no time in hitting Misao on her head. "Don't you DARE tell Yahiko about this!" Misao shook her head. "Well it seems to me your worries about acting in this film are nothing but lame excuses, Kaoru. Soujirou can deal with things on his own. He's not in diapers, and I'm sure he wants you to go for this." She shrugged.  
  
"And you've never messed up ALL your lines, and besides, why would a 'fellow cast member' hate you?"  
  
Kaoru opened her mouth to reply, but her words came out in a low murmur. "Because that particular cast member more infamously known as Himura Kenshin might think me a lousy kisser?"  
  
In his room, Soujirou sat up in his bed, still wearing his baby blue jammies with the teddy bears on it. He looked at his alarm. 'That's strange...my alarm sounded like Misao screaming, for some reason.'  
  
He shrugged and got out of bed.  
  
***@***  
  
Kenshin sipped the remains of his coffee, still wincing from his small headache. "When Hiko told me you wanted to talk, Aoshi, I would've thought you could have told me when and where, exactly."  
  
Aoshi smirked. Kenshin had arrived much earlier, but they had only finished talking five minutes ago and yet the redhead was only complaining now, approximately six hours after his arrival at Aoshi's mansion.  
  
"And just think," Aoshi continued without wiping the smirk off his face. "We'll have more times like this to chat while we shoot for this movie."  
  
Kenshin narrowed his eyes in confusion and directed his gaze at Hiko, who was lounging in the La-Z boy. "I'm sorry, I must have been so tired I didn't pay half my attention to our meeting a while ago—I agreed to be in this movie? Really?" He looked at his half-empty mug of coffee.  
  
"This was just black coffee, right? No cream, no ingredients that would insinuate my brain into acquiescing with anything you say?"  
  
Hiko looked at Aoshi. "You must pardon this baka, I think all the camera flashes affected his already wavering way of thinking."  
  
Aoshi shrugged and walked over to the mini-bar he kept next to his spacious, marble-floored living room. He pulled out a bottle of Vodka and refilled his glass. "Nevermind it, Hiko. I am quite used to it."  
  
Kenshin sighed, pulled out his cell and dialed. "Hello? Yes; cancel that meeting I have with Viggo Mortensen next week," He glared at Hiko and Aoshi. "It seems I'll be held captive by my manager and old friend by that time. Yes...all right. Thank you."  
  
Aoshi raised his glass at Hiko who returned the gesture with a laugh as Kenshin buried his face in his hands. Smiling.  
  
***@***  
  
Kaoru couldn't help but smile at her cousin who was happily eating his scrambled eggs and hotdogs. Soujirou had his head cocked to his left, and he chewed his food as goofily as he had a bit of ketchup on his face and was humming like a little boy.  
  
Soujirou couldn't help it. He knew Kaoru was only scared of being a 'lousy kisser' not because she was in love with Himura Kenshin, but really because every female (including Misao) had dreams of French kissing him and it was the first time Kaoru would play the leading lady in such a huge production. He flashed Misao a smile and laughed when she only gave him a forced one (Which really looked more like a snarl) and then started glaring at Kaoru again across the table. He also knew Kaoru had forgotten to inform Misao she was going to have to kiss Himura-san in the movie when she had called earlier that day.  
  
Soujirou shrugged. Well at least one thing was for sure. Kaoru was ready to accept the part she had been offered.  
  
He took another bite and continued to smile.  
  
A/N: Ha! Okay, how was that?! Viggo was gonna meet Kenshin? *EVIL LAUGHTER* Sorry again for not updating sooner, but it couldn't be helped. Not really.  
  
'One movie to rule them all, one movie to find them, one movie to bring them all and in Hollywood bind them!'  
  
You people better review!!! 


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: RI-I-I-IGHT…I really own this anime and I'm actually Watsuki in disguise…RI-I-I-I-GHT…

A/N: Um. Okay. Remember that part in chapter one that said, 'four months before the engagement and the wedding was off' (Or something like that)? That's supposed to be, 'four months INTO the engagement and the wedding was off.'

^_^ Thank you to Spacegirl for pointing that out…

Oh, and yes, the pairing in this story is K/K

Chapter 3: 

He took out his cell phone. He stared at it. He pocketed it again. Ten seconds later, he took it out again and stared at her number. He shook his head. He looked at it again. Finally, he pressed the call button, and waited anxiously as it ringed continuously. 

"Yes?"

Her voice startled him. _'Baka! Why should you be surprised? You DID dial HER number'_ He tried to act composed. Multi-millionaire actors whose billboards overlooked the whole of Tokyo, whose famous lines in their box office hits were quoted over and over again by thousands of adoring fans did not stutter nor stammer, nor were they ever stupid enough to act foolishly no matter how nervous they were in talking to their ex-fiancée. 

"Ah…Uh, Tomoe. It's me. It's—

"I know, Kenshin." There was a sweet smiling tone in her voice, that special one she had for him when he was acting weirdly. She had a tendency to seem cold when people first met her, but Kenshin knew that beneath that icy stare was the woman he had fallen in love with.

"Oh. Right. I just…I wanted to know how you were doing…" He clenched his fist. _'Of course she's doing fine, you baka, why would she spend her time mourning over someone like YOU?'_

Tomoe giggled, to his surprise, making him melt, although it also made him wonder why she seemed so happy after the break-up. Or was it that he was acting weirdly again?

"That's really sweet of you, Kenshin. I appreciate it. I'm at the studio, recording my first single. Enishi and Akira are here with me. You'll be one of the first to buy the album, of course."

"Actually I thought I'd get a free copy."

"And I suppose you want an autograph, too?"

He swallowed. "If you want to sign me one, with an engagement ring back on your finger."

There was a short pause. "Kenshin. We've talked about this. You know we need a break from each other—

"I know. And it's only a small break. But…did we have to have it now? You and I were planning to tie the knot…" He sighed. She was right. They had talked about this. A million times over. "Look, you're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called."

"Oh, Kenshin…stop that! I'd be an idiot if I told you you're not allowed to call. Look, we can still talk…I didn't break up with you for no reason, Himura. But you know things were getting a little…stifling. You know media has a way of making every engagement, every wedding controversial. Our schedules couldn't even meet anymore; you have your shootings, I have my concerts. We tried to hold it together. I wanted to hold it together and I still do…but right now I just think we need to take a breather, and it had me thinking…we've only known each other for a while. It just doesn't seem like the right time to get married. I just need to—

"To make up your mind, I know." That there was a possibility that she might not choose to re-accept his proposal injured him. "And I'm sorry if you feel like I am pushing you. Look, I'm obviously holding up your time. Go and sing well, okay? I want your song to be number one as soon as it's released."

She laughed. "I promise, I'll do my best. I have to go now. Bye."

He opened his mouth to say something, but she had already hung up. 

***@*** 

"I'm sorry, sir, but you can't see Shinomori-san; I'm afraid you don't have an appointment."

Sanosuke gritted his teeth. "I DON'T CARE!" he looked past the secretary's shoulder. Behind her small, black desk was the door leading to Aoshi's main office. 

"Yo, Aoshi!!! WAY BACK WHEN I _KINDLY AND BRAVELY _SNEAKED IN TO VISIT YOU IN DETENTION IN HIGH SCHOOL, _I DIDN'T NEED AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE YA!!!_ So why don't ya just get your ass over here so we can talk, Shinomori!!!

"If I recall correctly, Sanosuke, Anji had to bully you into 'visiting' me in detention because _I _covered for _your _pouring pudding on our professor's seat while he wasn't looking."

Sano whirled around to find Aoshi looking at him with those cold, blue eyes of his. His bangs added a shadow on his face that just added to the 'don't mess with me aura' he was so good at exuding. Sano raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you're the brave one now, are you?"

Aoshi gave it all away. With a single smirk, the tension was broken, and Sano was laughing. "Ya great idiot, Aoshi! You left a million messages in my e-mail, in my fax! Tellin' me if I didn't contact you as soon as possible I'd never work in this town again! 'Sup, man?"

Aoshi simply shook his head. "In my office, Sagara." He motioned to his secretary. "Make sure no one disturbs us, Sayo."

Sano let out a whistle as soon as they entered the room. The floor was polished to perfection, and the walls were filled with impressive abstract paintings. There was a huge flat screen television next to the window overlooking the city, and beside it was Aoshi's work desk. "Take a seat, Sanosuke."

"Sure, but where do you want me to take it?"

Aoshi ignored him.

Sano shook his head and sat down in front of the other man. "So, what did you want me in here for?" Aoshi seated himself and watched him carefully. "I want you in my new movie, Sagara." He tossed Sano a bundle of crisp, white papers. Sano frowned, but immediately began scanning it.

It was only a while after when he threw it back at Aoshi, grinning widely. "You're kidding, man. This is a _romantic comedy,_ I work for _romantic, suspense-filled movies._" 

Aoshi only needed to look at him to know that. The tall, spiky haired man was wearing a brown leather jacket over a black long-sleeved shirt, with a silver dragon on it. He wore the same brown leather boots, and around his head was a red, folded bandana. "I already know that, Sano. But that's no excuse. Besides, you play an interesting role here…"

He handed the script back to Sano, who grabbed it haughtily. He glanced at it. "I'm Saezuri Tsukiko, the protective older brother of Saezuri Sana, to be played by Kamiya Kaoru?! _Protective older brother?!_"

"Yes. Your character is a college dropout who works as an instructor at a gym. You're also a bassist for a local band, and are rather obsessed with keeping an eye on Sana. You were a 'stupid loser and dork' way back in school, and your way of compensating for that past, unhealed pain is by dating older women who are married, and your room is a hodgepodge of rock and roll posters and naked girls."

Sano's eyes narrowed, and his jaw dropped. "You're kidding, right?"

"Sano, I don't 'kid.' "

Sano slumped his shoulders. "Do I really still owe you for letting you take the blame for me all the way back in highschool?" 

"Yes."

Sano sighed. "Is my character that bad?"

"No. Actually, he is a wonderful mentor to Sana, and is always there for her. You are responsible in your own way as her sibling, and manages to earn sufficient money, and is actually a good musician and good at martial arts."

Sano shrugged. It was worth a shot. "Alright then." He glanced at the script once more. "Kamiya Kaoru? Isn't she that amateur actress who played a small part in that famous soap opera? I've watched some of her films. She's okay. But you want her in this huge thing?"

Aoshi shrugged this time. "She has potential. I think she and Kenshin could pull it off. They _do_ play sweethearts in this movie. You did read _that_ part, didn't you?"

"No."

"Can't you read?"

"No."

"_Sagara…"_

Sano rolled his eyes. "Jeez, I was kidding. So when do we start filming?"

"Tomorrow, eight o'clock in the morning, sharp."

Sano's eyes practically burst. "WHAT? And you only told me now?!"

Aoshi ignored him, lifted the phone and dialed a button. "Sayo, kindly let Kawase-san and his executives in, I'm done with Mr. Sagara."

Sano smacked himself on his forehead. "I'm gonna get ya for this, Aoshi."

"Of course you will. You know the way out, right?"

"Oh, shut up."

***@***

Kaoru crawled tiredly onto her bed. It had been a long day, and she was ready for a goodnight's sleep. She had memorized all her lines, had asked for tips from both Misao and Soujirou, had picked out her wardrobe, had planned her possible schedule for the coming week,  had promised herself not to be late no matter the circumstance and had practiced  emoting about a million times. 

She could hardly stop smiling as she turned off the lights and pulled the comforter around her. Tomorrow would be the first day of filming. "I'm going to do my best…I have to."

She sighed, yawned, and drifted off to sleep.

Not realizing she had forgotten to set her alarm.

A/N: 

^_^ Aw…Aoshi and Sano were adorable, weren't they? **By the way, I just wanted to say that I don't hate Tomoe. In fact for someone who likes K/K, I like her a lot. **Oh well. Let me know what you think you know that can help me know what can be good for this story so that I know you guys know I appreciate your support and comments. 

*Runs to the nearest mental institute. *


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own this, but I own the crazy plot. The Kenshin-gumi a bunch of actors?! *gasp* 

A/N: Hope you guys liked the last chapter! Anyway, I hope this will turn out to be a nice fic, even though it's a little bit of a challenge to make Ken and Kao famous actors…but I always wondered what it would be like if they were into show business. I actually finished this before midnight, but the next day I found it to be…lacking, so I added more scenes. Basically this chapter just introduces people to each other and shows how Aoshi is as a director.

*EVIL LAUGHTER*

Chapter Four: Coffee, Tea, or Stress?

Hiko took a sip from his cup of coffee and watched. Kenshin was sitting a few paces away from Aoshi. The director held a rolled-up folder and was hitting his forehead with it lightly. A layer of impatience showed through every now and then, but was quickly veiled by his stoic expression. 

Ah, yes…now here were three men who had critically-acclaimed ways of hiding their true emotions.

On the other hand, and as was usual when he was at work or acting, Himura Kenshin's eyes were a light shade of gold. A tender breeze blew and moved his red bangs along with it, slightly touching the ends of the rest of his crowning glory, held in a high ponytail. "Aoshi, it's practically been _an hour_. It's eight-fifty five…"

"Why, thank you, Himura…for pointing that out. I am eternally grateful Kami-sama has given me a human clock to tell me the time."

"Perhaps it is not you who needs this human clock, however…"

Aoshi continued to hit himself lightly with the folder. Where was Kaoru Kamiya?

***@***

She was running, running as fast as she could. An hour late! On the first day! She would have asked Soujirou to drop her off closer to the location of the shooting, but the tight knot of camera men, trucks, trailers, and equipment made it impossible for any other vehicle to approach the area and get out just as quickly. Poor Soujirou. For the second time that week he had woken up with the help not of his alarm clock, but of another girl, this time it was Kaoru, who had let out the most bloodcurdling scream once she had opened her eyes and realized the time.

So she had asked her cousin to drop her off down the street, and as her heart pounded inside her, Kaoru could not stop feeling hopeless. It was indeed one of those moments when you know you are running late, and you run as fast as you can, but for some reason every step you take does not seem to shorten the distance between you and your destination; in fact it only seems as if you were just as well walking than sprinting like an idiot in a marathon race.

By the time the crew and staff involved in making the movie had spotted her and she had passed the first trailer and stumbled into various people, a painful stitch was throbbing in her side, and her hair, which had not been very neat when she had tied it since she had been in a hurry, was a disaster. 

She would have stopped, but panic got the better of her and before long she ran headlong into someone.

"Whoa, there! Where's the fire, lady?"

She looked up to a man much taller than she was, watching her with brown eyes crinkled in a smile and spiky hair gleaming with the amount of gel in it.

For a while he frowned. "Hey, aren't you—"

"Kaoru Kamiya," She panted, where was Shinomori-san? She was in so much trouble! "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm—"

"An hour and now ten minutes late, Miss Kamiya."

She looked up at the man, and nearly groaned. The expression on Aoshi Shinomori's face was as stoic as ever, but for all her panic Kaoru could not have told the difference had he been a raging beast, drooling over his prey. Behind him and almost engulfed by the larger man's shadow was another person, and Kaoru could have fainted in embarrassment as she realized who he—and the man she had run into literally were.

Kenshin Himura and Sanosuke Sagara. Two famous actors. Two _infamous_ actors and the best award-winning director in Japan. Kaoru felt herself stiffen. 

She took a deep breath to steady herself. A million thoughts raced through her head. She had to make this good. She wanted to make Soujirou proud, amongst her other friends and relatives. Besides, if she couldn't defend herself and apologize properly, how was she ever going to prove to Shinomori-san that she was worthy of this part and could well be the next most famous actress in Japan?

Kaoru could only see one way to remedy the embarrassing situation she had somehow put herself in. After all, it _was_ her fault for being late.

She raised her head and met Aoshi's cold eyes. "I am very sorry, Shinomori-san. I assure you I had no such intentions to arrive at this rate and time. Please excuse my tardiness."

***@***

Kenshin was mildly surprised, to say the least. That stare Aoshi had sent the tardy Kamiya Kaoru's way was one of his worst, and when the recipient of that stare was a careless crewman, the person was left stuttering.

Only Kenshin himself could match that stare. Even Aoshi did not have fierce, molten gold eyes that glinted in the most incomprehensible and frightening manner. Instead of cowering, though, Miss Kamiya had met his stare head-on, and she had managed to speak to Aoshi in a calm, reserved manner, as if all the breathlessness and panic she had showed moments ago were replaced with formality and elegance.

 However, he was still a little put-off by the girl. Showing up late in such a mega-blockbuster movie shoot when you were a small rising star was certainly not a good way to start. But Kenshin was tired of waiting, much more of just standing there, waiting for what Aoshi had to say in response to the girl's apology. He wanted to start acting as soon as possible. Much as he enjoyed his job and being with good friends, he again had three interviews, a commercial shoot and two photo sessions.

He cleared his throat, and was not the least bit bothered when all eyes were turned to him. "I am certain Miss Kamiya is sincere in her apology, Aoshi. Leave her be, and save the speech for some other time. We should start shooting. Now." With that, he turned around and left, knowing they were still watching him. Well, he supposed Miss Kamiya was watching as well…although for some reason she was scowling at him in the most disapproving way.

***@***

"Tut, tut, Kaoru dear! How can I put make up on you if you're to frown like that!" 

Kaoru looked up, a bit puzzled. Then she smiled apologetically at the make-up artist. Kamatari was giving her a pout, eyeliner in one hand. "I'm sorry, Kamatari-chan…I'm just a little upset." She bit her lip, ignoring the fact that only half her face was made-up. She was still pissed off at the fact that she had arrived late, and was more than a little annoyed at that—

"Oh hachimitsu, _there _you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Kamatari beamed at the figure approaching them. Kenshin was already wearing the proper attire for his part: a clean white tee and black jeans. Kamatari put down the eyeliner and proceeded to run his hands on the various make-up scattered in front of the bureau where Kaoru sat, facing the mirror.

"Now I know you don't like powder; not even the slightest brush of it on your face—none of you do. Especially Sanosuke! You men!" Kamatari shrieked as though he himself did not share the least bit of physical similarity with the said gender. "But believe me, we don't want any faces shining on screen, right?" He handed a small, white compact to the actor, who eyed it warily. "Now go on and put that on your face while I go get some more lipstick for Miss Kaoru here."

Kaoru watched the whole scene with interest, on the mirror that was framed with small, diamond-like lightbulbs on its frame. True to his word, Kamatari walked away swiftly, murmuring about what shades of lipstick and lip gloss would match Kaoru's complexion, leaving her with that—

"Don't frown at me like that."

His voice was light and civil enough, if with the slightest hint of coldness. Kaoru was intent on glaring at him till forever, when curiosity got the better of her, and she watched, stunned, as the actor faced the mirror, opened the compact, and began to lightly apply some powder on the bridge of his nose. There was perfectly nothing feminine about the way he did it; in fact he did so in the most manliest way: with stiff hand movements. However, even that could not hide the fact that showed he had mastered how to do it, evenly spreading the white stuff on his face as expertly as Kamatari would have done it.

His eyes flickered to her puzzled face.

"Kamatari knows I abhor cosmetics, except when they are applied on someone else's face. I hate it even more when I am fussed for by different people, all of them trying to do the most disturbing things to my face, so I made a deal with Kamatari. I'd put on light make-up, but that's as far as it goes; if any one else volunteers to do it for me, then I refuse to have even a speck of it on my face." 

He explained all this with a distant voice, watching her at the corner of his eye while he applied the powder on his forehead. Immediately she resumed glaring at him. Finally, he turned and cocked his head to the side.

"You know, I noticed you've taken a liking to glaring at me. May I please know why?" 

Kaoru sniffed. "Well for one thing, you made it seem as if I could not handle the situation myself." She crossed her arms. He raised his eyebrows. Situation? What situation? Was it…

"The incident a while ago? Concerning your tardiness and apology?" He asked, surprised. She nodded. "I don't like it when people do that, you know. I could have talked my way through Shinomori-san. You didn't have to vouch for me." His look on her was getting uncomfortable, so Kaoru picked up an eyelash curler and fiddled with it. "No offense, but I thought it was quite rude for you to butt in like that. I would have liked to prove that despite my tardiness, I could've handled it myself. I thought it was something completely between only the director and myself."

She raised her head when he chuckled wryly.

"I had absolutely no idea…" 

The man finished applying powder on his face. He raised an eyebrow at her, with a small smile on his lips. "I apologize, Miss Kaoru." He laughed quite suddenly. "I had no idea you felt that way. I don't believe we've been introduced properly?"

He offered his hand. "Himura Kenshin."

She looked at his hand. "I already know that." She looked at him straight in the eye, mischief on her face. "I'm afraid I can't forgive you yet, _Kenshin. _You'll just have to learn when to interrupt things first and when to stick your nose into someone else's business." She smiled triumphantly, as he raised his eyebrows again in surprise.

Then he smiled. "All right then, Miss Kaoru. Your-- " 

He took the script, which was on the bureau and started to read from the character listings and descriptions. 

" 'Sweet, loving and ever handsomely gallant boyfriend' bids you goodbye for now, and wishes to become better acquainted with you another time. Please feel free to tell me when you have forgiven this unworthy one's apparent nosiness." 

With that, he gave her a mocking bow, still smiling, and walked away with astounding grace. Kaoru gritted her teeth. What the f—

A lipstick was practically shoved to her upper lip, as Kamatari returned with a vengeance, gleeful and proud that he had found the perfect color for Kaoru. "Is he always like that?" Kaoru asked the make-up artist.

The man seemed bewildered. "Who, darling?" 

When Kaoru had explained, Kamatari laughed with a matching girlish melody to the sound. "Oh you meant my hachimitsu! My little honey…well yes, but that's exactly what makes him nice. His attitude is a unique, amusing and polite one—especially amidst all the rude imbeciles around nowadays that I have to work with. You'll get used to him."

Kaoru sighed and remained quiet for the rest of the cosmetics-application session. Well…the man hadn't been exactly rude, Kaoru had to give him that. Kenshin had only played the game with equal smoothness. In fact, he was more polite than Kaoru would have expected for someone she had been giving death glares to. 

Finally, a few more minutes and she was walking onto the main room where they would start filming. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Aoshi's voice was a distant sound as he shouted, "Action!!!"

***@***

Kenshin tapped a slender finger to his chin as he watched the unraveling scene before him. On the set, which was made to look as if it was a normal household kitchen, were Sano and Kaoru, acting out there lines. He himself would not have to work with her yet, as Aoshi had explained the romantic scenes would have to be filmed much later.

"Hey, you're attending our band rehearsal tonight at my room, right?" Sanosuke delivered his line smoothly, casually running a hand through his hair as his 'sister' prepared a peanut butter sandwich.

"Of course…as long as I don't have to _listen _to your awful music!"

Her 'brother' groaned. "Aw, Sana! Come on, we've got this great new single called _'I Wanna Sleep With--"_

Kaoru groaned even louder, biting into her sandwich. "No thanks, I think I'll just hang around and do my homework while you guys are at it."

Kenshin watched as Aoshi made a hand-signal, and the sound of a doorbell rang clearly. Sano made a goofy grin on his face. "That must be the guys! Wait till you hear us, Sana—"

He walked off to the other side of the set, made to look like the living room while the camera zoomed in on Kaoru, who was making her way up the stairs.

"And cut!!!"

Soon Kenshin could only scowl at Sanosuke, who came jugging up to where the redhead sat on a folding chair, holding a cup of tea on his other hand.

"Sagara, don't even think about it; this is _mine._ Go get your own, eh?"

Still, Kenshin could only watch as after grabbing the paper cup from him, Sano began drinking from it. The taller man grinned down at him and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Jou-chan's pretty good," he remarked, jabbing a thumb at Kaoru's direction as she sat chatting with Kamatari.

Kenshin shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess. What's the next scene?" Sano squinted.

"Oh…the part where they show you studying in school…after that is when me and 'my band' are playing in the school campus and you watch us…"

Kenshin nodded, and began re-reading the script.

***@***

"I'm not allowed to tell you anything we did during the shoot, Misao; I'm sorry."

Exasperated, Kaoru slumped down on the couch and Misao flopped down next to her. "Can't you even tell me how Himura Kenshin was? Come on, Kaoru! How could you torture me like this?!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes. It was nearing two o'clock in the morning, but Misao was as bubbly as ever, having waited for Kaoru to come home form the shoot. "Misao, there's not much to tell. And besides, I'm too tired! Tell you what, drop me off tomorrow…then you can see a glimpse of him." She bribed, hoping with all the crew and staff Misao _could_ have a glimpse of the actor.

She waved a finger at the smaller woman. "But promise you won't shriek or scream when you see him. And stay only for a while, okay?"

Misao screamed and practically broke the windows. "Thanks, Kaoru! So how was every one else? Shinomori?"

At this Kaoru groaned. The man had given her the 'I won't tolerate tardy people in this set' talk after the shoot.

"Too strict for my taste…"

Misao's eyes widened. "Really?" she whistled. "Oh well…I'll see him for myself tomorrow!!!" She jumped up and gave Kaoru a hug before leaving. Kaoru simply shook her head and headed for her room. The day turned out not that badly, and she discovered Sano was actually a very fun guy. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of Kenshin Himura. Well, he _was_ nice and Kaoru could tell he could be a loyal friend indeed…she was just yet to _fully _forgive him. She grinned. 

The most famous leading man in the country had done her wrong and she was yet to accept his apology. It was an amusing thought. She took a shower, brushed her teeth, changed into her sleeping attire.

And set her alarm for seven o' clock sharp.

***@***

"All right. Now lean forward and put your left foot on the edge of the table. Left hand on the knee of the same leg. Yup. Now look angry." The photographer clicked the camera away, and Kenshin continued to pose, wearing a navy blue silk shirt with the top three buttons unfastened and dark pants. _'Just fifteen more minutes…'_

The shoot had ended pretty well. He and Sano messed up a couple of their lines—they almost always did when they worked together, but that was it. His thoughts turned to Kamiya Kaoru. The girl was certainly headstrong, but he hadn't talked to her after their 'make-up' encounter. He shrugged mentally. She had potential, Aoshi was right about that, and she was certainly kind enough, when she wasn't giving him the Evil eye, that is.

Suddenly he felt a pain in his temple. He could use some sleep by now.

Being a huge star was just too much work. It was fun, but demanded too much physical strain. Kenshin sighed inwardly. His decision was final. After the movie with Aoshi, he was quitting. What use was working in the business when one of the reasons why he had joined it, the most beautiful singer/ actress, would never share the glory of show business with the man who loved her deeply?

Heartbreak _and _physical stress. Poor guy.

"All right. Now sit back on that chair, lean your head on the rest, and look at the camera sadly. Good. Now cross your arms, look depressed and hurt. Perfect."

Kenshin did not have to act to get the look the photographer asked for.

The camera flashed.

A/N: Oh, god! Dear Lord! Is it true? I'm done with this chapter? *Sits back and looks tiredly at computer. * 

I'm so tired…that took a hell of a lot from me…

So please…

REVIEW.


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: No, I don't own RK, so don't even think about it!

A/N:

**IMPORTANT**

AAAAAAAHHH! You people find ways to torture me, I tell you…my computer broke and when it finally got fixed I had writer's block (Still do) so I started re-reading all the other fics I'd saved from that were not my own. And practically all of them had at least ONE chapter that had an author's note, apologizing for not updating sooner. Boy, that made me kind of guilty. And even if I've the block, I figured, might as well update **NOW** since term is approaching **FAST**! And when it comes by, I can **GAURANTEE EVERY SOUL OUT THERE **that I'll be way too busy to update on a regular basis. So sorry if this sucks, but **I'm trying!** Oh yeah…I just wanted you tell you guys that I'm in the **Neil Gaiman** mood…hehehe. Maybe that's why I'm finding it hard to write anime fics…oopsie-daisies.

Chapter Five: Encounter of the Funky Kind

"Oh, Misao, do we _have _to?"

Kaoru groaned. "Your tank isn't anywhere near being half-empty. Why do we have to stop by a gasoline station?" Misao rolled her eyes, making Kaoru feel as if the answer should have been obvious. "Kao, we're not here for the gas, okay? I just wanted to use the comfort room to check on my make-up and freshen up a bit. I _really_ don't want those actors on the set to see me when I'm a mess, you know."

This time it was Kaoru who rolled her eyes as she followed Misao out of the car and into the ladies' room near the station. "Misao, you don't look like a mess, okay? I promise! Can't you just trust me? I wouldn't let you out of the house looking like you just went to _hell_ and back, much less go to the shoot with me if that was the case—but believe me you look _fine_."

She entered the room and found Misao already busy in front of the mirror. The smaller woman shook her head. "You're just **_ultra paranoid_** that you'll be late a gain. Relax! We left extra early, remember? And there isn't bound to be traffic, I think, so you have nothing to worry about! We're practically only fifteen more minutes away from the place!"

Kaoru sighed in resignation and was left to watch her friend fixing herself up.

"Kao, don't you want to put a bit of blush on, or something?"

Kaoru shook her head. "Nah. Kamatari-chan'll take care of that later. Are you done yet?"

Misao nodded, applying one last layer of lip-gloss on her mouth. "Let's jet."

"_Finally._"

**M.S.5.**

Kenshin walked around aimlessly, taking his time. He liked being early, and he enjoyed watching the crew men set the props and lighting up; it always fascinated him how a location could be set up to look like almost anything, and how he as an actor could visualize anything else the set didn't cover: to build up imaginary walls that could make him the character he had to play and become a whole new different person.

It was wonderful.

**M.S.5.**

It was not long after he finished his fourth round wandering the place that he heard something that perked his attention.

"Oh, if anyone finds out I'll be so _fired_! I really don't know how you deceived me into doing this!"

"Oh come on! It's just a little tour!"

"A little tour! Just so you could meet him!"

"I don't care whom I meet, I just want to see some famous people—even the director. I've seen interviews with him, but I've heard he's much cuter in person. Can you vouch for him?"

"…He's not my type."

"Where _is_ everyone? What are all these guys doing to this place? And where's Kenshin Himura?"

"_Misao…_I don't know…this is such a bad idea. It's obvious we came too early…"

"Actually, you came right on time," Kenshin didn't try to hide the smile on his face as he walked to the two girls from behind. He caught the guilt that quickly appeared on his co-star's face, and watched as she gave him a surprised look.

'_Oops,'_ Kaoru thought. She had thought maybe Misao could glance at Himura Kenshin…but she didn't expect the man to just walk up to them. "Well, that's an improvement. Good morning, Kenshin," She said.

He gave her a small smirk, which she returned. "Aren't you going to introduce your…um…" His gaze flickered to Misao, who was watching him with eyes glazed with tears.

Kaoru gave him a confused look, and could only start laughing when she saw Misao's expression. "This is Misao, Kenshin…" She laughed. "Your biggest fan."

Kenshin raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Kaoru laughed at the expression on his face. "_Really,_" she nudged Misao. "This is the part where you beg for his autograph, dear."

The next few moments were quite blurry for Kenshin. Misao, the girl who was just standing still one minute, whipped a pen, a piece of paper, and a numerous things she had always wanted to tell Kenshin. Next thing he knew, he had signed the paper, shaken her hand and smiled dazedly as she bounced away happily, waving at him and Kaoru.

He knew his expression must've been stunned, because somewhere in the background he heard Kaoru laughing. "Sorry about that. My friend gets kinda…funky sometimes…"

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Funky? Well…you know what they say—" He smiled at her. "Birds of the same feather…"

Another bout of laughter escaped his co-stars' lips. Boy, he was just a huge joke book walking around today, wasn't he? Kaoru eyed him mischievously. "In that case you better wish _I_ don't get 'funky' or you'll be sorry!"

"Nightmares and all?"

She nodded, and started walking away. "Nightmares and all. See you later, Himura Kenshin."

**M.S.5.**

"I didn't know you liked listening to my brother's music,"

The camera focused on Kaoru, brushing away her bangs. In front of her stood Kenshin, a boyish smile on his face.

"So you must be Saezuri Sana?"

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, that'd be me!" A suspicious look passed quickly on her face. "And who might you be?"

"Miyazawa Rei, at your service, and a great fan of your brother's band,"

"CUT!"

Aoshi exclaimed. "All right. Next scene. Kenshin, you're with Sanosuke in the open. Remember, I want teen angst; I don't care how old you two _really _are! Kaoru, less nervousness, more hyperactivity!"

Kaoru sighed. She couldn't help being anxious. "Maybe I'll stop being nervous when the sky turns green. Bright, neon green with hot pink comets all over…" She muttered as she drank from a bottle of water.

Beside her, and quiet as usual, Kenshin looked at her. "Hot pink comets?"

She nodded. "Hot pink comets."

Somewhere inside him, Kenshin felt a wave of nostalgia. He remembered when he first started out. He, too, was pretty scared, to say the least. He shrugged mentally. That was to be expected from a newbie.

He cleared his throat. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but that isn't going to happen soon,"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me." Kenshin shook his head. "Look at it this way: it's either you lose the nervousness (even just a little), and you do a great job, or you don't lose even a small part of it…and you lose the part. Go along with it, flow with it."

She sniffed. "I don't think Shinomori-san is all that pleased, though."

Kenshin smiled, a cunning look in his eyes. "Maybe if you give him something to be pleased with…"

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?'

"Mmm. Maybe."

"Still haven't forgiven you."

"Of course you haven't."

"You're on! I'll give you ALL something to be pleased with!"

Kaoru watched as the redhead walked towards the main set, where Sano stood waiting. Her mouth was half-open, but later on she found herself smiling slyly as the scene began. That Kenshin Himura was full of surprises, was he? First offending her somewhat subconsciously then cunningly challenging her to do better.

Well, that was certainly something she didn't expect from the infamous star.

**M.S.5.**

"_You_ want to join my band?" Sanosuke delivered his line clearly, wearing a sneer on his face.

Kenshin scowled. "Look, I think your music is great and all, but don't you think you could use some…pizzazz?"

"Listen, buster, if you really like our songs, just lay back and enjoy them, try not to meddle, eh?"

"You need another guitarist and you know it."

"All right, then, if you think you're fit for the part. We're holding auditions after school next Thursday. We'll see what you've got."

Sanosuke walked away from Kenshin, and the former was left standing by part of the grassy park area, made to look like an abandoned lot for sale. The redhead actor waited a few moments, before walking away, and the camera, a faithful companion, followed his movements until he reached a car parked nearby.

A tall, beautiful woman climbed out of it, long ebony hair and blood red lips. Megumi Takani. She was the queen of soap operas, and Kaoru knew she was playing Kenshin's older sister in the movie. It was her first day to shoot for the movie, and though Kaoru was glad to have another girl around, she felt a small voice inside her mind, reminding her how much of a small time actress she was.

She hit herself mentally. _'What in the world is with me? I know I can do this…I have to and I will!'_

"You're late again!" Megumi Takani's shrill voice filled the air.

Kenshin scratched his head and shrugged. "The teacher dismissed us later than usual. Sorry, sis."

The actress rolled her eyes and smiled. "All right, whatever you say. Want to pass by the burger joint?" When her 'younger brother' continued to look into space, apparently not hearing her, she honked the horn and startled him into climbing into the vehicle.

"Is anything wrong, Rei?"

A hurt expression passed on Kenshin's face as the camera closed up on him, looking out the window as Megumi started the engine.

"No. No, there isn't anything wrong."

"AND CUT! Next scene. Kenshin, that's still you, contemplating in your room. Remember, you've been _secretly _in love with Sana for _years_, and you're still apprehensive about following your little plan." Aoshi's voice drawled on in the usual quiet tone he used when he didn't have to shout orders. "Let's move, everyone."

Certain staff members moved along, bringing some of the lighting equipment and camera with them. After they left, Kaoru grinned, spotting Sanosuke drinking what seemed like his first cup of coffee in years.

"Hey, Jou-chan. Want some?"

"Um, no thanks, Sano. What's up? Why are you drowning yourself in caffeine?"

A wolfish grin spread on the man's face, and he brushed away Kamatari (who had popped out of nowhere) and his attempts at trying to put powder on Sano's face.

"I stayed up late last night-- "

Kamatari snorted. "Where? At a kinky bar?"

Sano ignored him. "I went to a party that lasted until one A.M., then I realized I hadn't memorized all my lines. Stayed up until five this morning to memorize at least half the script."

Kaoru laughed, watching as Sano poured himself another cup of coffee as they stood near the trailers, where tables were set up full of refreshments. "Well, all that cramming helped. You're doing great!"

Sano grinned, and winked at her. "I could say the same for you. Don't mind Aoshi—he's just a perfectionist." He gave her one last smile, before walking away to one of the portable toilets, humming. "Besides, there's always room for improvement. You'll find ways to learn, you'll see."

She shook her head, seating herself on one of the fold-up chairs scattered around the place. She didn't think Sano was right. He was probably just being polite, saying that she was doing well. He really was a nice guy.

Kaoru sighed. After letting Kamatari freshen her make-up, she curiously followed the group of men entering the house next to the park, which the production had rented to be the Miyazawa household.

She watched, as Kenshin Himura sat on his narrow, but sturdy bed in one of the upper rooms, strumming a few notes on his guitar, wearing baggy, faded blue pajama bottoms and a fitted white shirt, a sad look on his face. His eyes told of an untold pain, and was it her imagination, or did she see a hint of purple in those undeniable flames of amber?

A few moments later, he wrote something on a piece of paper, and left the room, supposedly to get a drink, as the script implied. The camera zoomed in on the words, revealing them.

_I must keep it,_

_It is only mine,_

_Like I wish you were,_

_Only you're not._

Kenshin's eyes were still sad and his expression dark when he returned to the room, holding half a glass of water. Soon, the scene was ended by Aoshi's trademark, "CUT!"

An idea hit Kaoru.

**M.S.5.**

Kenshin wiped the sweat on his forehead. The last scene had been of his character, biking around the bend of the road, and he was exhausted. They had to shoot the scene several times. First, they had to adjust the bike seat after Kenshin found out he couldn't ride it properly, because the seat was too high, and then when the crewmen did, Aoshi had noticed the front wheel of the mountain bike was sagging to a flat, and therefore Kenshin had to brake again, and climb off. A light drizzle ruined the scene next, just as he was halfway to biking in the road.

He panted lightly as he settled himself down on a chair, removing the guitar he had used only a while ago from the seat first.

"So, do you really know how to play the instrument?"

A light voice asked, and soon a smiling, blue-eyed girl sat next to him. Kaoru eyed the instrument warily, before glancing at him, waiting for an answer.

Kenshin felt suspicion rise in him. Not that he disliked her. In fact he had come to realize she was actually okay for a feisty young woman, but why was she coming up to him all of a sudden? They never really conversed except when they had to (save the incident that morning), but aside from that, there had been no other small talk.

"I only know a few tunes. They'll hire someone else to play most of the songs and record it so that it'll seem I'm playing it."

Kaoru wrinkled her nose. "Does that work for you? I mean, wouldn't you rather that you really knew how to play it?"

Kenshin had to suppress his smile. Curious, was she? And yet, it was true. He didn't like other people doing the job for him, but Aoshi and Hiko had insisted that it would take too long for him to learn how to fully play the guitar, and they needed to focus all their time in filming.

He nodded. "I would rather do that, yes, but the time frame for this movie is too strict." Her mouth formed an 'O,' and she cocked her head to the side, making him think she was pondering about something.

He continued to wipe his forehead with a towel. "I'm sorry to say this, Miss Kaoru, but am I to believe you made your way here just to ask me if I knew how to play the guitar?"

She laughed. Yup, human joke book, all right. That was definitely what he was today. She continued to smile. "Would you like me to teach you?"

He knotted his brow in confusion, not knowing whether to ask her why she was offering to do so, or to ask how she knew how to handle the instrument.

She seemed to be able to read his mind. "My father taught me how, when I was younger. I haven't played in a while, but I bet I can still handle it. Well? Would you like me to teach you?"

Kenshin watched her carefully. "You could tell right away I wasn't used to playing it, weren't you?"

She nodded and beamed. "Yup. So what's it going to be? Am I going to teach you, or what?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you doing this, exactly?"

Aha. He knew it. She had an ulterior motive. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead she settled for fiddling with the sleeves of her purple cashmere shirt.

"Mou…well, I was thinking maybe if you could coach me on acting in exchange? I mean, you're really good at it, and I thought of asking Sano, but then he's been overly friendly I figured I'd feel bad for asking him for help when I couldn't give him back anything. Then I saw you with the guitar, and I thought maybe we'd do each other a favor. I'd ask Ms. Takani…but, well…we haven't really been introduced yet, and I can't keep on being a nervous wreck till then, can I?"

She drew a deep breath from all that talking and flashed him a small smile.

Kenshin thought about it. His schedule was already too complicated, and he thought he could live with letting someone do some of the work, even just for once. And yet…Well, he needed to get his mind off work…learning how to play the instrument would certainly lighten him up a bit, and make him forget for a while his heartache and busy schedule.

And it wouldn't be so hard to coach her, right?

Finally, he nodded. "Okay."

Nothing could have prepared him for the outburst that came from Kaoru. She leapt up and gave him a choking hug, smiling and shrieking excitedly. He smiled in return. Oh, this was funky, all right.

"There's no filming this Saturday," he said, amidst her shrieks of happiness. "Why don't we meet at the Starbucks down at the mall? I'll meet you there at two."

She nodded, though he doubted she really understood what he had just said. With that, she walked happily away from him.

In the background, he could hear one of the crewmen singing softly while cleaning up the set. It had been a long day.

_'Oh--my twitchy witchy girl _

_I think you are so nice,_

_I give you bowls of porridge_

_And I give you bowls of ice_

_Cream._

_I give you lots of kisses,_

_And I give you lots of hugs,_

_But I never give you sandwiches_

_With bugs_

_In.'_

Not knowing why, a smile crept up the actor's face, as he stood to gather his belongings. It had been a very strange day, he had just heard a very strange song, and he had just made a very strange deal, with someone he hardly knew. This didn't bother him for long. For the past few days Hiko had been bugging him, saying how he had too many things on his mind. If his first theory was right, Kaoru Kamiya's guitar lessons would certainly cheer him up a bit.

Coaching lessons on acting, huh? He smiled again. That, for some reason, sounded like it was going to be fun.

**WARNING: RANDOM DRABBLES AFTER MAIN AUTHOR'S NOTE.**

A/N:

The lyrics Kenshin wrote in the upper part of the chapter, I thought of on my own. However, **the lyrics in the song the crewman was singing I derived from** **Neil Gaiman's Coraline**, the most spine-tingling children's book I've ever read. The man is a genius, I tell you. Well anyway, the point is, I don't own the little song. If you want to know more about it, I suggest you purchase or research about the book, under publication of HarperCollins.

And I admit, that was one of the **weirdest** chapters I have ever had the misfortune to write. Ah, well. That's the writer's block for you.

I'm going to watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban tomorrow! **FINALLY**! And yes, I am still in the **Neil Gaiman** mood. I love the comics he wrote about the seven anthropomorphic personifications of the different aspects of humanity: Destiny, Death, Dream, Desire, Despair, Destruction and Delirium, so there. Sigh

All right, enough for now. Don't forget to review, even if the chapter was just…wrong…in my demented opinion. Oh, well.

Oh, ya, wait…

Peachie-Chan: Thanks for 'absolutely loving' this story. Hope you liked that weird chapter :D

Svart Mirai: Thanks for reviewing, and here, I updated. I'll be updating Nympha Fabella soon, please review?

Crasyduck: Thanks for the grammatical correction; keep reviewing!

Aryana1: Um. Smiles Good question. In my own opinion, Kenshin and Tomoe don't know what's going on, either; all they know is, they are coping with it as well as they can. Wait, why am I telling you this? Just read on and review!

Kuro-Hidama: There, I told you where Megumi was! Perhaps more of her, if you stick around. A/M? I'm not good at those, but I'll try.


	6. Chapter Six

**A CRUCIAL A/N BEFORE THE AUTHOR LETS YOU READ THIS LONG-DUE CHAPTER**

First of all, I would really, really like to apologize for not updating for so long. However, as I've always said before, I had studies to deal with, so I had to focus on that instead. I don't know if people are still reading my fics—chances are, and let's face it, they're not, but no matter.

Secondly, I'm on vacation right now, but I am graduating this year, hence, I have a very limited time left to update my fanfiction. Still, because I really, really, REALLY don't want to waste my account in this site and all the effort I put in the past just to write these fics, I'll try to update as much as I can while I still can—which might not be very promising, but a little promising at the least, I assure you.

Thirdly, I just wanted to say that I'm not sure if I'm going to update any of my other fics. Nympha Fabella has suddenly become very complicated to, of all people, the person who wrote it—me. I know, as I said before, that people might not be reading my stuff anymore, but if anyone out there is STILL interested in Nympha Fabella, tell me. If not, it'll be a sigh of relief for me, because that would mean I wouldn't have to untangle the knots I tied in that story, but if yes, then I WILL take up the challenge and try to update to it.

Kidoks? Great. And here we go…

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

Chapter 6: A Mess Not in Disguise

Kaoru slouched, feeling much too full to sit up properly. Idly, she watched as the green straw floated on her vanilla frap, or what was left of it. "Misao…Can we leave now?" Across the table sat her friend, shaking her head and drinking her third cup of green tea. "Nah-uh. We aren't leaving until we figure out exactly what you are going to say when Himura-san gets here tomorrow."

Kaoru groaned. "_Why? _He's just going to give me some advice on acting, Misao. I'm not out to impress _him _in particular." Misao rolled her eyes. "Kaoru, WAKE UP! You're going to meet Himura-san here tomorrow—it's like, the closest you are going to get to a date with him, and you're not even making an effort?" Kaoru reached for her vanilla frap and toyed with the straw, taking it out of the plastic container and watching as droplets of the whitish liquid and bits of crushed ice fell on the paper napkin. Smirking, she looked at Misao.

"You're right. I should come in here wearing a figure-flattering gown, and then I'll seduce him while he's teaching me how to act properly. Really, Misao, I don't make special preparations when I'm meeting people at coffee shops. Why should he be any different?" She shrugged. "Besides, it's not a one-sided deal, you know. _I _get to teach him something, too."

Misao grinned, and Kaoru sighed inwardly. She had meant for her statement to mean that she wasn't some hopeless girl just looking for a chance to spend time with her crush (assuming she DID have a crush on Kenshin. But surely, the fact that the physical admiration she felt for him was shared with practically the entire female Japanese population didn't allow her the privilege to call it that. _'A crush on someone is meant to be a SECRET; it's not something I wish to have in common with thousands of people…' _Kaoru thought). The point was she hadn't been a lovesick girl who had seen the opportunity of teaching_ and_ learning from Himura Kenshin as the perfect dream date. It had been a professional deal. And a friendly one. She hoped.

"That's just _it_!_" _Misao exclaimed. "Seriously—" That the word 'seriously' had been used by Misao while she was practically drooling at whatever she had in mind sent Kaoru sighing all over again. Inwardly, at least. "Seriously, Kaoru! Have you given it any _thought?_ You're going to teach _Himura Kenshin _to play the guitar. He's going to have to _listen _to you; he has to do _whatever you say,_"

"Then I am hoping I can ask him to kidnap you and throw you out from a window," interjected Kaoru dryly.

"He's going to be at your _beck_ and _call…"_

"I wouldn't say he would be at my _beck and call…_"

"You get to adjust his fingers on the guitar to help him play better…and then maybe he'll start kissing your hand, and he'll be thankful for your generosity, and soon you'll realize he's the man of your dreams, and he'll say you strum the strings to his heart—"

"The strings to his _what?_ God, Misao, where do you get all this crap…?"

Misao rolled her eyes. "Nevermind. Just don't act so uninterested, okay? This is _him_, for crying out loud…"

"Himura Kenshin, I know, I know…Can we go now? Because I seriously wouldn't want to refuse He Whose Fame At Acting Must Be Taken Oh-So-Seriously if he offers me a cup of something when we meet here tomorrow just because a certain weasel drowned me in the luxury of Starbucks goodness and made me lose any more future interest for it…

(scene change)

"And just where are you going?"

Hiko's voice thundered across the room to where Kenshin was tucking his hair under a black fisherman's hat in front of a mirror. "I'm going out to have a press conference to publicly announce that I'm gay and that I am having a threesome with Keanu Reeves and Alan Cummings."

Hiko's voice was gruff as he turned to walk out of the room, but Kenshin could tell he was amused. "Just make sure you make it clear that I have nothing to do with it."

"Sure, I'll tell them you wanted to join us, but that Alan found you too weird."

"Idiot."

"Tell Aoshi I'll return his call later."

(scene change)

Kenshin made his way inside the café as fast as he could. Not that he was late, but he did not want to take any chances. Fans were such good stalkers. He spotted Kamiya Kaoru in a booth near the center. He almost cursed. Why again did he let her talk him into this thing?

'_Ah yes, because I've been beginning to sink into depression and was desperate enough to attempt this deal in hopes of cheering my unworthy self up. How could I forget?'_

She could have _at least_ chosen to sit somewhere at the back where not many people could see them. He made his way to her, quickly dodging the small crowd of people who were enjoying a wonderful Saturday afternoon at the local Starbucks. Why again had he chosen this place in particular?

'_Oh Hiko, for the sake of your harsh name calling, am I glad you cannot see me and this sure-fire mess I am in now…'_

Kaoru looked up from her drink to see a strange-looking man suddenly and gracefully grab the chair across from her. The man sat down quickly, hunching his shoulders as if hiding himself.

"Erm. I'm sorry, sir, but that seat is taken. I'm saving it for, er, a …friend…"

"Technically, Miss Kamiya, you do not call people friends until you've forgiven them for vouching for you against angry directors…"

She raised an eyebrow. Kenshin Himura had already been named the top most fashionable man in the country countless of times. If Kaoru wasn't mistaken, Carson Kressley had approved of him personally, regarding the matter. Today, however, she blinked with surprise, wide-eyed as she observed a Kenshin Himura who wore faded grey jeans, a rather large black T-shirt, matching fisherman's hat and shades.

"Um. Is the get-up supposed to help me act better…?"

He sighed. "We're in public, Miss Kaoru…I wouldn't want to be…mobbed. It is not the way I want to die."

She cocked her head to the side. "How _do_ you want to die?"

He was about to answer her question when he realized just what she had asked. He also realized that she was laughing. At him.

"Wow, you should have seen your face when I said that!" She smiled. "All right, so what's the plan? You certainly cannot coach me to act better in here and I certainly can't teach you how to play in here either, can I?"

"Aa. Unfortunately, I know no other place that would serve our…purpose. Do you?"

She shrugged and seemed to be thinking. Kenshin started to wish that she would realize his discomfort. The last time he got mobbed made him swear he'd never go out like this again no matter how badly he needed to grab some toilet paper.

Finally, she seemed to have made up her mind. "My cousin went to meet up with someone, so there isn't anyone there right now. If it isn't too weird for you, we could go about with our lessons in my apartment."

Kaoru yelped as he grabbed her hand not ungently and lead her to the parking lot where he had parked his car.

(scene change)

"Okina,"

Aoshi's voice was quiet and cool, as he watched the old man in front of him wink at the woman behind the cashier counter. This was what happened when you let Okina talk you into 'having a nice drive around the city—' You ended up in various places where Okina grabbed any chance to flirt with practically any woman young enough to be his granddaughter.

"Okina," Aoshi repeated. "We should go now." By the way his companion's posture changed slightly, Aoshi knew that he had been heard. Unfortunately, Okina still did not stop winking at the poor girl whom, to Aoshi's inner horror was giggling in response. Finally, Okina turned to regard Aoshi with a lustful smile. Only the knowledge that the lust was meant for the girl and not him kept Aoshi from quirking his eyebrow.

"Now, now, Aoshi," Okina said. "This young, _sweet, sweet _girl has agreed to give me her telephone number." The man's eyes suddenly turned to Puppy Eye Mode. Oh, Lord, this was a mess. "Unfortunately, Aoshi, my mind's not what it used to be…and I don't have any paper or pen with me, but I believe I have some in the car. Would you mind staying here for a short time while I grab some paper and pen?"

Aoshi didn't attempt to reply. Okina was already out the grocery doors. Aoshi was left to contemplate the items on the counter which his friend had left. The girl behind the counter noticed him staring. "That will be fifteen ninety-five and fifteen cents, sir," she told him.

"Excuse me?"

The girl blushed slightly as Aoshi's cool blue eyes regarded her. "Um. That's how much the items cost, sir." She gestured to them simply. "See sir, that's a carton of milk, some shaving cream, and..." she blushed again. "And a pack of condoms."

The serene look on Aoshi's face did not change. However, he was having a sinking feeling that if he looked outside the window, he would no longer see Okina's car in the parking lot outside. "Sir?" The girl inquired shyly. "Um, your friend said you would pay…?"

Oh yes, Lord, this was quite a mess. Especially for a wealthy director such as himself who didn't carry any change. Unless you considered credit cards loose change. And this cashier was 'For Cash Only,' too. He gave a sidelong glance to the counters around him which accepted credit cards. The lines were so damn long it would take him at least half an hour before he could get a turn.

Wonderful.

(scene change)

"You," he said, his voice husky with anger and pride, mixing together in an anguished whisper. "Are a pathetic wench."

Amber eyes watched as she flinched, a pitiful sight on the floor. "N-n-no…"

Kaoru shrieked as his hand grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back. Despair painted her face as her voice shook with fear.

"I didn't _do_ it…I _didn't_ do _it…"_

(scene change)

Misao tapped her foot impatiently. God, what was with grocery service nowadays, anyway? Why was the man in front of her taking so long? She peered impatiently to get a better look at what was causing the hold up. Why was he taking so long when all he had purchased were milk, shaving cream and condoms, anyway?

Honestly. Either he was flirting with the cashier lady or deciding whether he was going to chicken out on buying the last item in front of him. Either way, Misao didn't care. The nerve of this man!

"Excuse me,"

Aoshi began to turn around, careful to conceal his surprise as someone jabbed what felt like a finger into his back. He winced inside. Someone needed to trim their nails. He never did understand why women grew their nails long.

Misao continued to poke until the man in front of her turned around. "Excuse me sir, but just in case you didn't _know,_ you've been holding up the line for a _disgraceful_ fifteen minutes. In case you didn't notice, my good sir, _some of us,_ would like to get our turn to pay—"

The rest of her words died in her throat.

Infamous Shinomori Aoshi was watching her with those serene, calculating eyes.

(scene change)

He allowed a small, polite smile to grace his lips. "That wasn't so bad, Miss Kamiya."

Kaoru winced a little, but smiled back. "I guess." She began to grin enthusiastically. "But after playing the jealous step-sister, the insane escapee from jail, and the strict teacher, I would say playing the role of a wrongfully accused is quite amusing, especially at the hands of a 'merciless, vengeful man,' Kenshin."

He smiled politely again, and lifted the glass of water she had handed him to his lips. What she had mentioned had only been some of the roles he had given her to perform with him in some skits he had creatively thought of to improvise in their little acting lesson.

"Aa. I am glad you enjoyed it, Miss Kamiya, that I am."

She rolled her eyes. "It's Kaoru, okay?" She grinned again and pulled a guitar from beside her couch. "So, ready to play?"

(scene change)

"I…thank you again, Misao, is it?"

He glanced at the girl beside him as they stood outside the grocery. She nodded and flashed him a smile. After a storm of apologies and much fussing over, she had somehow convinced him to let her pay for Okina's choice of items.

"It was nothing! It was the least I could do after lashing out at you like that," She grinned sheepishly. "I mean, I don't think someone as famous as you gets scolded a lot by girls like me, now do you, Shinomori-san?"

He gave her a small smile. "I would not have let you pay, Misao, if I hadn't been in such a mess. I should like to apologize for the trouble. I will pay you back, of course."

She laughed. "How about answering something for me, too?"

He regarded her for a moment. "All right. What would you like me to answer, Misao?"

"Well, how come you didn't just flash your I.D.? I'm sure if the people back inside realized who you are, they'd let you get away with it. Not that I would've approved if you had done that, of course! They would have given you the entire store for an autograph, though! And aren't you upset that they didn't even _recognize _you? I mean, they must be like, blind in there to not see who you are! I can't _believe_ no one recognized you! And…"

Aoshi felt a tinge of amusement as the girl continued her tirade about people not recognizing him. "I like handling things that are behind the scenes, Misao. I am sure you have noticed I do not really appear on camera for very long, not even in premiers. Interviews are rare as well. Therefore, very few people recognize me in person. I quite enjoy it that way. I am not fond of mobs, you see, and I am glad you would not have approved if I had used my fame to get away from that mess. Very few people seem to realize that fame and wealth should not be used that way."

Silence soon followed as they walked over to the parking lot. "Oh," she said. "Well, this is my car." She told him, smiling again. "You don't need a ride, do you?" He shook his head. "No, Misao, I know a friend who will be happy to pick me up."

She raised an eyebrow as she climbed into her car. "And how do you plan to pay me my moolah back?"

He gave her a small smile. "I shall find you, Miss Makimachi Misao. Do count on it."

(scene change)

Kaoru finished strumming the last notes of a melody and handed the guitar to Kenshin. "Okay? Now you try. Remember; strum down twice before going up again, okay?"

He nodded and was just about to start when his cellphone began to ring. "Excuse me," He told her, getting up and fishing the phone out of his pocket, feeling a little annoyed.

Kaoru watched him with a curious face as he answered the call. "Aoshi?" Kenshin looked at her as he listened carefully to his friend's voice on the other line. "And yes, I'm in the middle of something. Where are you?" There was a short pause. "Now?" The redhead sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll be there in a while. No, no, I don't want to be fired from my role in your movie…"

Putting the phone back inside his pocket, he shot Kaoru an apologetic smile and bowed. "I'm sorry, Kaoru, but it seems our dear friend Aoshi needs me. Shall we continue this some other time?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes, snorting. "_Your_ friend, you mean. Well, whatever." She smiled. "Thanks for the time, Kenshin. I'm just sorry I couldn't teach you much."

He shook his head. "I believe I understand strumming better now, Kaoru, although I doubt I shall get it any time soon." He looked past her shoulder to the guitar. "A complicated thing, that."

He smiled, and with that, hurried out of her apartment.

A/N: So? Comments? **Flames?** Well if you want to flame me that badly, no one's stopping you :D Just make sure your flames make sense; I appreciate constructive criticism, but not one-liners like "Blech-ur-a–stupd-writr-dis-ficcie-is-suckie-so-bye". BTW, you may have noticed that parts of this story lack **scene** **dividers—**you know, those really long lines (sometimes asterisks) that separate one scene from another in a chapter…Well, yeah, something went wrong when I posted those parts long, long ago. I'll try to fix it **as soon as I can. In the meanwhile, if the chapter just jumps from one scene to another, just please try to bear with it for the while. Thanks! **

Okay? See you guys!

jumps up and down I'm done with Chapter Six!


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed…I'm sorry I haven't been updating. Senior year's a little too boring for my taste, but I do have this FREAKING big research paper, and I have to battle with sine, cosine and tangent everyday…so I really don't have much time, and when I do, I end up sleeping. Hehe. Sorry. Just flame me if you want.**

Disclaimer: I don't own RK.

Chapter Seven: Of Dodging and Wooing

He blinked.

Still looking surprised, he repeated exactly what he had done, ignoring the pain on the tip of his fingers as he started to strum.

"Can't you play anything else, idiot? I've been hearing the same thing over and over again for the last hour," growled Hiko, sipping his whiskey and looking down at Kenshin. "You wouldn't know music if it came up to you and bit your nose," Kenshin muttered with a smile as he put down his guitar. "I heard that, you moron. Now go get dressed, will you?" Kenshin looked up, surprised. "We're going somewhere?" His manager snorted. "Sano's got a big dinner party over at Preston Hotel, remember, idiot?"

Kenshin sighed. "Why again?" Hiko shrugged. "I'm pretty certain it's something to do with him and the new line of clothing he's having. I believe he's going to call it 'Evil.'"

Kenshin smiled. "Ahhh…now I remember."

(scene change)

Kaoru flopped down on her sofa, extremely thankful that the shoot for the day had been canceled. She had just turned on her television set when her phone rang, instantly making her jump. She'd hardly even said 'hello' when Sano's voice boomed out of the receiver along with a loud stream of music.

"_Yo, Jou-chan, come on over at Preston, won't you?"_

Kaoru squinted and held the phone a few inches away from her ear for a while before putting it back to its normal position. "Er. Why…?" A pause. "Evil? Sano, what kind of…I don't have a ride there…" Another pause. "You hired a limo to pick me up from my place…? But…What should I wear? What do you mean anything…? _Sano…_"

"_Please, Jou-chan? Everyone in the cast is gonna be here. Except you, if you don't come. Come on, don't make me use my sexy voice on you."_

She snorted. "I'll go if you don't use that voice."

"_All right. Limo'll be there at six. See ya then, Jou-chan."_

(scene change)

Kenshin entered the hotel's pool area, his eyes scanning the long tables for food and the white balloons all over with the character 'evil' on them. The music was pretty loud, and some women (Goodness knew where Sano got them) were already lazing all over the swimming pools in their bikinis while some lounged around in their expensive dresses and such. He sighed. "Let the party begin…"

He reached for one of the goblets containing chardonnay on the table, and stepped back just in time before something huge and white bumped into him from his right. Unfortunately, he was unable to dodge Sano's arm as it snaked around his shoulders, the other man's breath already smelling like beer. Still, for what Sano was worth, Kenshin could tell his friend was still far from being even the least bit tipsy. "Glad you could make it, Kenshin. Where's Hiko?" The redhead shrugged. "He got me all dressed up and then decided not to come himself."

Sano grinned. "Ah, well…who needs him?" He gestured to the double glass doors on the other side of the pool area. "The modeling's gonna take place inside. Got the whole ramp and lights set up, but that won't happen till later. Meanwhile, enjoy yourself, won't you? You look like a grumpy child who's been dropped off at the wrong birthday party."

"Himura Kenshin, a grumpy child? Now that's one nickname for him I've never heard of."

Kaoru laughed at the expression on the redhead's face and nodded at Sano. "Nice party, roosterhead. Thanks for inviting me. Are we going to insult Kenshin all night?"

The taller man faked a sigh and shook his head. "Alas, no. For as much as I would like to mock my dear friend Red Shorty here, women and alcohol await me in abundance." And with that he walked away, leaving Kenshin staring at Kaoru with a raised brow. "Making fun of your acting tutor now, Miss Kamiya?" He followed her as she began walking towards the double doors. She was still grinning. "What are you going to do about it, Kenshin? Tell me to re-enact a drowning woman so you can be the lifeguard who _doesn't_ save me as revenge for my insults?" "Would you like to try it?"

Kaoru shrugged and pulled the cream-white shawl up her shoulders as they entered the other wing of the hotel. She had worn a simple, sleeveless beige cocktail dress that trailed around her calves in soft white ruffles. She was glad to see less bikini-clad women inside already as they entered. "That would work, except you couldn't learn playing the guitar anymore." "I could always hire a professional." "And actually pay for it, too. So did you learn what I showed you yesterday?"

She watched him eye the room carefully, his light gold orbs scanning the long black ramp at the center of the room and the elegant chairs lining its sides. It was hard to believe she was talking to the infamous Himura Kenshin. She never thought conversation would flow this easily. He cleared his throat. "What's this, Miss Kamiya? You have so little faith in me. Of course I learned it." "Silly, proud little man." She rolled her eyes. It was nice to have a woman roll her eyes at you, when they usually just battered their eyelashes and asked for an autograph. The only other woman who had done much rolling of the eyes at what he supposed was his silliness was…

"Prove it, then…Er. Hello? Kenshin?"

Kaoru's voice brought him back from his reverie. He forced a smile. _'Get over her, Himura. Go play the guitar instead…'_ He thought. "Sano hired a band for this party. We can ask if they brought an acoustic guitar along. I'll show you at the other pool room; I believe it's empty." Before she could answer, he had gone up to a group of punk rock tee-shirt-clad teenagers and had come back with an acoustic guitar.

He gestured to the part of the room that she supposed led to the other pool area. The hallway was left unlighted; clearly it wasn't part of the area Sano had had reserved for the party.

"Um. I don't think we're allowed to go there." To her surprise he smirked and offered her his arm. "Let me be your escort for the night." "Erm. Excuse me?" He sighed, gently pulled her hand and put her arm though his. Kaoru followed his lead curiously as they edged along the crowd, casually looking as though they were merely mingling. A few stealthy steps along and they were into the hallway and almost out the door.

Kaoru let out a loud laugh. "That was fun!" She laughed even more when the redhead beside her widened his eyes, put a finger to his lips and looked behind them cautiously. She giggled, more quietly this time. "You're funny when you panic." She drew herself majestically and pointed to one of the plastic chairs lying around next to the pool. "Now play, Sir Minstrel."

Again, he smirked. He had a feeling someone was watching, but ignored the feeling. He sat down, and began to play.

(scene change)

Working for a tabloid was fun. It was sneaky, and fun. Especially if you were the photographer. He stayed in the shadows and slowly took out his camera. He wasn't too near nor too far from them. Perfect.

(scene change)

Hiko stretched luxuriously and watched the view from the wide glass window of the room he occupied in Kenshin's penthouse. He had stayed up late, pretending to watch TV and waiting for the idiot who had come home at two AM. Said idiot also came home massaging his fingers for no reason Hiko could understand. Unless of course that roosterhead had unwisely asked Kenshin to play some tunes at the party, which Hiko doubted.

He finished washing up, and headed for the kitchen counter where one of Kenshin's assistants had already put the daily newspaper. He glared in disgust. Whichever assistant it was, they'd gotten the tabloid along as well. He pulled the tabloid away from today's newspaper and almost fell back in surprise as he read the headline:

"**HIMURA KENSHIN SERENADES CO-STAR KAMIYA KAORU AT EVIL LAUNCH: **

**Do we sense something juicy, or what?"**

It wouldn't have been as bad, Hiko thought dazedly as he walked towards Kenshin's door, if there hadn't been a picture below the caption.

A/N:

Um. There. Sorry it was kind of rushed. I'm tired and I still have to work on some research paper-related stuff. Oh the pain. Please review. If ever, flames must make sense, please. :D And no…KK aren't exactly lovers…yet—more like something between being acquaintances and friends…Go figure.


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N: Aww….I've got some of the nicest reviewers…I think…anyway…belated merry Christmas to you all! Thanks for reading AND reviewing. I appreciate it. And for those of you who have to keep re-reading the past chapters of this story because you've forgotten them by the time I update….I'm so sorry! I just don't have enough time nowadays! Anyway…on with the story! Also, this chapter takes place the next day from chapter seven.**

**WARNING: Contains spoiler for the ending of the book, 'The Birth of Venus' by Sarah Dunant.**

Disclaimer: I don't own RK. Sweet and simple.

Chapter 8: Interruptions

It was going to be a perfectly wonderful day, Kaoru decided, sipping her ice cold, low fat latte as she headed for the house the movie crew had hired to be the home of Kenshin's character. Usually, various cameramen, assistants, and make-up artists would be streaming in and out of the building, but today, a sign on the front door prevented such activity.

Kaoru glanced at the sign. **Urgent meeting inside. Do not enter if you are not part of the cast, **it said. Wondering what the meeting could possibly be about, Kaoru entered the house and blinked a couple of times as she tried to get accustomed to the lack of sunshine indoors. Following the low sound of voices, she navigated herself towards the spacious dining room and paused as she scanned the scene in front of her.

Several people had already been seated around the wooden oblong dinner table at the center. On one end sat Aoshi, looking, if possible, even more serious than usual. On his right was Hiko, sipping what Kaoru guessed to be sake. Opposite Hiko was Sano, at whose right side sat Megumi, and facing Aoshi, with his back to Kaoru, sat Kenshin.

As soon as she had stepped inside the room, Kaoru had gotten the feeling that something was wrong, but the feeling doubled the moment Aoshi gestured to the empty seat facing Megumi.

"I was going to say 'good morning,' but I guess that would be a little ironic, judging by the looking on your faces," Kaoru said with a slight smile. Sano grinned. "That's my missy; smiling even when the tabloids strike."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. Even when the what…?

"Um. Even when the what?" A few meters from her, Megumi Takani let out a snort. "You haven't heard, have you, Ms. Kaoru?"

"Obviously not." She looked around her, at all the serious faces watching her…and Kenshin as well? She was just about to say something, when the aforementioned redhead passed her something. Everyone watched as Kaoru unfolded the tabloid and let her blue eyes wander over the front page.

"**HIMURA KENSHIN SERENADES CO-STAR KAMIYA KAORU AT EVIL LAUNCH: **

**Do we sense something juicy, or what?"**

Curious as well as horrified, Kaoru continued to scan the page and almost groaned out loud when she saw the picture. A perfect, moonlit scenario showed itself right below the article. In it, Kenshin played the role of the valiant suitor, all romanticism and manliness, while she, to her further horror, stood watching him with what seemed like perfect, damsel-in-distress poise. They looked, much to Kaoru's dismay, very much like the two would-be sweethearts the title suggested. She wanted to apologize, to say something sensible…however, before she could stop herself, the words had escaped her mouth.

"Well, it's a really good picture, you have to admit."

(scene change)

As soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth, Kenshin could not help chuckling. There was something, he admitted, about Kaoru Kamiya that just did not allow for gloom and doom to last much in a place.

He had realized that much, that day in her apartment when he had been coaching her on acting. After all, he had been in a rather tense mood that day, but twenty minutes had allowed her determination to convince him that it was an activity worth doing, a respite from work that harmed no one and helped him relax—which was why, Kenshin realized, he found himself rejecting the suggestion his manager next made after Sano too, had laughed at Kaoru's statement and Aoshi had restored order in the meeting.

"You two have to stop this exchange in guitar-acting lessons." Hiko took a sip of sake and turned to Aoshi, who nodded in agreement. "I agree. Himura, if you had wanted lessons that badly, you could have told me. As for you, Ms. Kamiya, I know many other professionals who would have been more than happy to help you." A glance at Kenshin's direction told Kaoru Kenshin had been forced to explain the otherwise clandestine arrangement they had made regarding acting and playing the guitar.

"It's not as simple as that," Kenshin started to explain. However, before he could, Sano interrupted him.

"What's the big deal, anyway?" Sano asked, chewing on a toothpick he seemed to have fished out of thin air. "Tabloids will be tabloids. Let them say whatever."

Aoshi shook his head. "Under normal circumstances, I would agree. Unfortunately, I badly need everything to go smoothly with this film." He cleared his throat. "As you well know, my last film did not do as well as my others, thanks to the very same tabloid. They exposed the otherwise, then-secret plot that I had meant to reveal only on the day of premiere. What's more, they created various rumors about the actors which caused notable decreases in the said actors' popularity, and later on, in my film's popularity as well. In the end, I lost more in making the film compared to what we did earn after releasing it. I will not have that incident repeat itself."

Hiko nodded. "You heard him, Kenshin. You can't afford controversy right now. Your fan base is very…unstable at the moment, and many of your fans still want you and Ms. Yukishiro to get back together." He gestured to Kaoru. "If you do not want hate mail and such to suddenly attack Ms. Kamiya, I suggest you just drop these lessons."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. This was ridiculous. "I don't see what the big fuss is all about. We all know this isn't true. Kenshin was not serenading me and we have no plans of being lovers unless we are playing the parts of Miyazawa Rei and Saezuri Sana. Why can't we just issue a statement making our stand on the issue clear?"

Megumi sighed and combed the tips of her elegantly beautiful tresses. "Because, Ms. Kaoru, darling, the more you contradict this tabloid, the more you will end up convincing them that you _are_ trying to hide something." She clucked her tongue at Kaoru. "I suggest you don't assume everything will be easy in this business. You're no longer in your little soap opera-world here, you know. Pathetic suggestions like that will get you nowhere. Now I see why it took you _so _long to gather a…not-so-large fan base."

Kaoru raised her eyebrows. "Excuse—"

Kenshin did not know what it was, but he felt the oncoming urge to stop the bickering session before it could escalate into a catfight. Doing so proved to be relatively easy, as if extinguishing a debate between the two women had been something he was used to doing in a past life. "Maa, maa. That's enough, really. The truth is, I cannot blame Kaoru here for her suggestion. However, Megumi has a point. This tabloid—or any tabloid, for that matter, won't back down so easily."

Kaoru raised her head, her eyes defiant still. "I still don't know what the problem is. We all know this isn't true! Why don't we just _ignore_ it? It'll blow over some time."

Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Yes, and by that time, your almost non-existent fan base will have disappeared and regrettable damage will have been made to Shinomori Films and Ken-san's career. Wonderful plan, really."

Kenshin watched, curious as Kaoru suddenly flushed in anger. He couldn't blame her for doing so, though Megumi _still_ had a point. However, Kenshin felt an unexplainable desire to speak up for his blue-eyed co-star again. Subconsciously, he realized that this was just the thing someone like Kaoru would not like him to do, judging from how she reacted last time he vouched for her.

"I agree with Ms. Kamiya's plan, actually."

(scene change)

Kaoru was about to open her mouth to retaliate when—

Wait…he agreed with her?

"There seems to be no other way to combat this tabloid other than to play their own game. Give them a taste of their own medicine," Kenshin said. Standing up, talking as if he had the final word on the matter, Kenshin began to speak again.

"From now on, Kamiya Kaoru and I are 'lovers.' "

(scene change)

Kaoru found herself stuffing all her belongings into her purse as all around her, people began cleaning up. Himura was damn lucky they didn't have any scenes together that day or she would have killed him. Literally.

She was just about to leave when—

"Ah, there you are."

Kaoru turned around and had to mentally applaud the redhead for daring to approach her despite the scowl on her face. She sniffed. "I'm sorry, _darling_. Do we have a date, or something?"

To her surprise, his amber eyes flashed a light shade of amethyst as he started to laugh before his eyes turned gold again. Straightening, he nodded. "Actually, we have a lesson today, remember? We agreed at the party that we both have some spare time after today's shoot. It's going to be at your place again, remember?"

Oh, crap.

Kaoru wrinkled her nose, and her co-star wondered why that actually made her…cuter. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? It's been a long day. Aren't you stressed after all the tabloid mix-up? Because if you are, we could just postpone and have it some other time, you know."

He raised his eyebrows. And there he had stood, thinking she would murder him for his suggestion earlier. She seemed to read his mind. "Oh don't worry," she assured him. "I'm not suggesting a postponement for mere concern of your stress level. I just didn't think you'd want to die in my hands with so many other problems bothering you."

He shrugged. "Things bother me all the time." He looked around. The sun was beginning to set. "Well now that things are cleared up about that, I'll just call my driver and have him drive us to your place. Or do you have a ride there on your own?"

Kaoru shrugged. Well, if he wasn't going to stress over the matter, then she wasn't going to, either. "Nope. Let's get going then."

(scene change)

"That was really good, Kenshin!"

Kaoru could not help but clap as Kenshin finished strumming. The man gave a little smirk. "See? You should give me more credit at this."

They were sitting at her couch again, and once more Kenshin was holding the guitar as if he had held it for years. Kaoru had to admit he was a fast learner. It was almost dinner time, and Soujirou had just left for dinner with some friends, dazed at the thought that Himura Kenshin was in the place where he lived. They had already spent nearly an hour on the guitar lessons and Kaoru's stomach was beginning to crave for something to eat.

Kenshin, on the other hand, was beginning to strum again. "So what's the title of this little tune?" he asked just before Kaoru excused herself to go rummaging in the kitchen.

"Just getting some dinner, okay?"

"That's some title."

"Oh, shut up."

She returned, munching on some junk food. "Tsk, tsk." He waved a finger at her. "What's this, Ms. Kamiya? Eating junk food before dinner. Not much concerned for your figure nor your weight, are you?" For some reason, teasing, as well as normal conversation was astonishingly easy with his present companion.

She stuck out her tongue. "My weight is perfectly fine, thank you very much. I am very, very, _very _light." He raised an eyebrow. "Really now? Are you willing to bet that bag of potato chips for that?"

"Yes."

"Well then…"

Kaoru yelped as he lifted her off the couch and carried her to the kitchen. As soon as he put her down, he started panting.

"Oro? We're at the kitchen already? I thought we would never make it. You're very heavy, Ms. Kamiya…perhaps you should let me have the burden of finishing those potato chips for you."

She stuck her tongue out again and handed him the bag of chips, only to grab a Mars bar from the fridge. "Well, I don't know about you, Kenshin, but I think I'm too tired to continue. Tomorrow again, then? You can coach me then."

He nodded, popping a chip into his mouth. "All right." She accompanied him to the door and on the last minute, decided to head down as well, wanting to grab a soda from the vendo machine downstairs.

In the elevator on the way down, the talk consisted of literature, which eventually led to several novels and finally settled on boldness as portrayed in The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant.

Kaoru cocked her head to the right as they stepped out of the elevator. "I find that Alessandra's boldness was the very force holding the story together, but I found it a little disappointing that after realizing her accomplishments she still chose death."

Beside her, Kenshin shook his head, hands shoved in his jean pockets. "Ah yes, but that in itself was a testament to her boldness. Remember that even then suicides were considered a sure-fire way to get to hell, and yet this woman saw it as the rightful way to end a well-lived life: By carefully constructing her death through a self-imposed, fake disease."

They stopped walking, she right in front of the machine and he in front of the glass revolving doors that allowed people outside to have a clear view of what was going on inside the small lobby area. "And speaking of boldness, Ms. Kamiya—"

"Ugh. Stop calling me that."

"And speaking of boldness, Kaoru. It seems that I was followed here by some photographers hoping to catch some action between us."

Kaoru raised her eyebrows and stepped closer to Kenshin without taking her eyes off the machine, trying to see better from her peripheral vision the black car parked on the other side of the street a few meters away from the apartment.

"Is that so?" she asked. "Well, we better not disappoint them then, ne?" And with that, she planted a kiss on Kenshin's cheek, did not protest when his arms came around her for a quick hug, and stepped back laughing as he waved, heading for his waiting car.

And though she had only kissed him on the cheek, that was how Kenshin Himura developed the theory that Kaoru Kamiya had the potential to be a very good kisser.

**A/N: Wow. I think that's the longest MS chapter I've written so far. Sure feels like it. And I just have to single out Sir Gawain of Camelot—yeah, you're right about Misao, but that'll be in another chapter. Teehee. And reviews, please! Ugh…and pray I get into the college I want! Careful with the fireworks this New Year too, while you guys are at it! I hope everyone had a great Christmas/Hanukkah or whatever else it is you celebrate! Please take care!**


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews! And yes, I did get into the college I want and I'm really, really sorry I didn't update sooner. Anyway, now that graduation's over I have more time to write, although I've been postponing; I'm really sorry! All right well, here's the next chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy it!**

Disclaimer: I still don't own Kenshin. Wahoo.

Chapter 9: Echoes

Kaoru screamed.

She sat up, back flat against the headboard and stared wide-eyed at the face that was watching her.

"Misao Makimachi! What in the devil's name do you think you're doing, just _peering_ over me while I slept like that!"

Instantly, her friend's eyes shifted from Puppy Eye Mode as she raised an eyebrow at the girl on the bed. "Oh I don't know…But maybe, just _maybe_ I was wondering why you didn't tell me personally about you and Kenshin Himura?"

Her and…

'_Oh, right…Great.'_ Kaoru groaned as she got out from under the covers and headed for the bathroom. "I guess it just slipped my mind. Sorry."

"_Sorry!_ You didn't tell me you're dating Kenshin Himura and you're just _sorry?_"

Kaoru rolled her eyes as she stuffed her toothbrush inside her mouth. "Ee jush shlipped muh mind, 'kay?"

Unfortunately, the little white lie didn't convince her friend, and Kaoru was forced to sit Misao down on her bed as soon as she finished brushing her teeth.

"All right look, there's something you need to know about this whole Kenshin thing—"

"You think?"

"Will you let me finish? It's not what you think it is. It's a set-up. We're not in love, and we're not going out. We're just pretending to."

"And I'm supposed to believe that you and Kenshin Himura just decided to play this little game for kicks and see what happens next?"

Kaoru sighed and looked at the clock on her bedside table. Adjusting her sleeping robe, she went over to her closet and started rummaging for what she could wear to the shoot. "Look, this stupid tabloid (I always forget what it's called) caught us together, and no matter what they say, you're just going to have to take my word for it, okay? He wasn't serenading me and I wasn't about to moon over his almost non-existent musical skills. Anyway, apparently battling this particular tabloid is futile, and it'll only get us into more trouble. However, apparently, give them what they want and they're sure to tire of the news much, much sooner rather than later."

Kaoru pulled open a drawer and started rummaging for a brush. "Kenshin suggested we might as well just give them a taste of their own medicine." She shrugged as she ran the brush through some tangles. "Besides, now that I think about it…maybe it'll actually be good for publicity purposes. I mean, majority of Kenshin's fans are still hung up on him and Tomoe, but that won't stop them from seeing Shinomori-san's new movie even if Kenshin's paired with me. They may not be loyal to me, but I bet they still want to see any of his latest romantic movies—or basically anything that will let some of them replace his leading lady's face with their own." Kaoru started rummaging in her closet for a comfortable set of shoes.

"Now that I think about it, not a great number of Kenshin's fans know about me. They're probably going to want to see my work, which would be really great for Shinomori-san's new movie. Personally, that's a relief. I think Shinomori-would burn every issue of that tabloid if they ever cause him to lose another penny in the industry again." She sighed and faced her friend. "I'm suddenly realizing how complicated all this really is."

Misao rolled her eyes and got up from Kaoru's bed. "Gee, you just realized? Of course it's complicated. You're in show business now, aren't you?" Misao walked over to her and handed her a hair tie, giggling. "Still, it's not everyday you get to play Kenshin Himura's girlfriend on and off set."

**M.S.9.**

"It's not everyday that a woman gets to pretend she's your girlfriend on and off set."

Kenshin looked up from his mug of coffee at the sound of his manager's voice. Hiko was sitting across him on the other side of the table. As soon as he met the other man's gaze, Hiko passed him the tabloid, and Kenshin almost laughed at the picture. Almost. He didn't think Hiko would find it amusing to find out that he was having fun with all of this. Not that a lot of things amused Hiko.

Kenshin lifted the tabloid and in order to conceal the small smile on his face as he scanned the picture of him hugging Kaoru in her apartment lobby. He glanced at the fairly lengthy article surrounding the picture and then at his watch. He was running late. He finished his coffee, gestured to Hiko, and made a mental note to read the article in the car.

**M.S.9.**

"Look, just because your brother likes my sister doesn't mean I'm going to let him in my band!" He punched one of the lockers, denting it. "Besides, you're being biased. What would you know about band stuff, anyway?"

Instead of retaliating, however, she coolly flipped a strand of her perfectly straight black hair and pursed her lips at him, cocking her eyebrow as she spoke. "You are clearly being pathetic, Saezuri Mitoko. I have sources that tell me you gave my brother a hard time in the auditions while you practically worshipped all the other applicants. _Now_ tell me who's biased. I'm only asking for you to be fair."

And with that, Miyazawa Yanagi walked away, leaving a frowning Mitoko in her wake.

"Cut! All right. You know the next scene, I hope. I expect the same high level of performance after the break. I expect everyone to be ready after exactly fifteen minutes."

Sano sighed as Aoshi finished his announcement. Another day of work…it was going to be a long day. He was about to get a cup of coffee from the table when Megumi jammed something into his ribs with a brisk, "This should be interesting. You might want to read it."

Puzzled, Sano looked down at the latest issue of The Echoing Puck, and a wide smile graced his features as he saw the picture. He wondered what the article said about it.

**M.S.9.**

_  
"Gazing at the picture taken for this issue, it is no question that people are now wondering whether the infamous Himura Kenshin is planning on moving in with his newfound love, Kamiya Kaoru. The couple supposedly started dating at the set of their new movie together, and it seems the two are indeed romantically involved as seen in the above picture. _

_Himura Kenshin was once known for his past relationship with the extremely talented singer Yukishiro Tomoe and this couple inspired approximately three-hundred websites dedicated to their love. However, the two broke off two months ago and until recently, there had been no news about their separate love lives. Still, it looks as though Mr. Himura has settled for a less-talented woman this time around. _

_Unfortunately, some people have easily accepted this change and actually support the Himura-Kamiya relationship. Already, fan clubs of this couple have shown up, and only goodness knows whether Kamiya is just using the publicity to get herself more famous. While the ever-trustworthy Himura is surely in it for love, his new love interest could have many ulterior motives._

_Kamiya Kaoru never really gained the attention of people up until recently. She played a few minor in independent productions, and she has relatively few admirers. This publication can only hope she does not opt to break the heart of one of our most beloved actors...contin'd on A15, column 4."_

**M.S.9.**

"Hello?"

Kaoru gave Kamatari an apologetic smile as she turned her face away to answer her cell phone, preventing the make-up artist from applying lipstick on her successfully.

"I'm sorry, Misao. No….I don't know where Soujirou is right now…_You're_ asking him to design a website for you? For what? Well if you're not going to tell me…Later? Um, okay. Right. Bye."

She turned and puckered her lips again for Kamatari, expecting him to jump at her with the lip brush the moment she hung up; instead, Kaoru almost fainted when Kenshin offered her the brush instead.

"You know how to apply lipstick on other people as well…?"

"Alas, no. But I was walking over when Kamatari threw this at me while muttering something about girls who just won't…stay still?"

Kaoru took the lip brush from Kenshin and finished applying the rouge. "Mm. Well Misao called. She's been weird ever since she found out about the little set-up you thought of between us."

"You told her…"

Kaoru looked up at the tone of disapproval in his voice. "Of course I told her. She's my friend. I trust her. She's not going to tell anyone."

Still, he shook his head. "Still. It was reckless. You shouldn't have told her. This business will require you to keep some things secret, Kaoru."

She felt the anger in her rising. "Well I've already told her, and I think it's a little too late to be fussing over it, don't you think?"

"I suppose. Would you like to teach me another tune?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Do you really like changing the topic just like that?" He stared at her with those pale amber eyes, holding the guitar she'd not seen him carrying, his expression unreadable. She sighed and took the guitar from him.

She tapped her fingers rhythmically on the side of the instrument, trying to think of a simple melody. "Well what about this one? It's quite simple." She started strumming, singing the words softly as she did, not realizing Kenshin's facial expression until she finished.

"Did you get that, Kenshin? Would you like me to repeat it?" She looked at his widened eyes and the unreadable line in which he had set his lips. "Is anything the matter?"

"That song…"

Kaoru stared at the guitar, puzzled. "What about it? It's one of my favorites. _Snowfall_, by…"

And then it hit her.

"…Yukishiro Tomoe. Oh Kenshin, I'm sorry. I'd heard you weren't over…I…That was really stupid…"

"It's all right." Kenshin cleared his throat and held out his hand for the guitar. His bangs shielded most of his face as he made sure his fingers were in the right position. "Forget about it." His voice was still a little hoarse.

Kaoru didn't even realize he was playing until he was almost finished. He put down the guitar, and when he looked up, there was a smile on his face, his eyes almost amethyst.

"Was that any good?" He grinned. "I…" She blinked. "Well, that was definitely better than what I expected." He chuckled softly. "Let me guess. You were expecting me to storm out on you after you picked that song…?"

"Well…"

He smiled, albeit a little sadly. "It's quite all right, you know. It's not like I can ban people from listening to her music. Besides, it's not as if I dislike that song." He watched her still-guilty expression. "Kaoru. Believe me, it's fine. And if it makes you feel any better I feel a little guilty about a while ago. It was your business to tell Misao, and if you find her trustworthy, then that is something I cannot question seeing as I do not know her very well myself."

"Mm. Well I'm sorry I went down on you hard. Don't worry. I'll make sure that girl keeps her mouth shot if it's the last thing I do!" She flashed him a bright smile before getting up and leaving.

**M.S.9.**

Sano watched Kaoru walk away from Kenshin and waited until she was out of earshot before he went to stand beside his friend. "So you take it she hasn't read the article yet, huh?"

"Not even a single word of it, I'm afraid."

**M.S.9.**

"Are you crazy, Misao?"

"I think so, but that's not the point."

"I can't do that! If Kaoru finds out…"

"Jeez, Soujirou! What's the worst that can happen, anyway? Just design an ultra-cool website that'll be dedicated to Kenshin and Kaoru! You've done websites on less interesting things!"

"Yes, and I've gotten _paid _for them, too." Soujirou said with a small smile, hoping Misao wouldn't throw her plate of food at him. _'Note to self, never accept a lunch offer from Misao ever again…'_

Misao stopped sipping her drink and practically stabbed him with her fork. "Seta! When I last checked you were Kaoru's cousin who was willing to do anything for her in the name of filial love, no money expected in return!"

Soujirou took a bite, chewed and then grinned at Misao. "Of course I am. Unfortunately, I'm not even sure if Kaoru really wants this site. I mean, why didn't she just ask me to do it herself?"

"_Because_ it's a surprise for her, silly! Besides, think of the possibilities!" Misao spread her arms, and Soujirou was afraid she was going to knock her drink over. "You design this absolutely amazing website, and fans of both Kenshin and Kaoru flock to it, and they see it right there, at the bottom: 'Website design by Soujirou Seta,' and boom! You get all these new requests from people! They'll be asking you to do so many other websites! And Kaoru! Kaoru will absolutely love this site and will definitely thank you for it!"

Soujirou wiped his mouth with a napkin and sighed, smiling a little. "Yes, but…You should well know by now that Kaoru is really more of a private person. Are you sure she'd like it if her own cousin and friend devised a plan to construct a website that would divulge endless information about her love life to millions of people?"

Misao rolled her eyes. "Ours won't be the only site, you know. Plenty of wannabes out there have already set up their own. Think about it: what do _they_ really know? Can Kaoru trust them not to dish some rubbish about her and Kenshin? Of course not. But she can trust _us_. She can have a say on what goes on and off the site. This website will be _official_."

"Well, I suppose we can always take it down if she doesn't like it…"

"Exactly. We've got nothing to lose."

**M.S.9.**

Kaoru turned away from the counter after thanking the lady for her coffee. She was just about to leave when a set of smirking teenagers tossed something at her she barely caught. Chagrin filled her, but she knew it was useless to go after them, whatever their problem was. They were probably just stoned and were not worth her time. After all, she was tired from work, and no damage had been done. She looked down at the object she'd caught. It was a tabloid. The Echoing Puck.

She decided she wanted a table after all.

**M.S.9.**

She flipped through its pages, her blue eyes filled with disbelief even as she re-read parts of the article over and over. What the…

"Tabloids can be really brutal sometimes."

The chair across from her was pulled back and soon a figure sat down on it gracefully. "But you should ignore them. It's not worth all the emotional stress, trust me." Her voice was cool and melodious.

Kaoru sat in shock, not knowing what to say.

Tomoe Yukishiro was sitting across from her, her beautiful brown eyes solemn as she stared back at Kaoru.

**A/N:**

**I started this chapter not knowing what to write…and then it just all flowed out. I guess that's what I like about this story; it proves how writers can be so powerless sometimes when the characters just jump out and start moving faster than you can type…I always think I'm never going to update this and then before I knew it, the chapter's done. Sigh. Wish all my stories were like this. **

**Anyway, I'm simultaneously editing and updating this story, but I'm not doing it by order. Just picking random chapters and cleaning them up. Bear with me; it's just my style… **

**Please review! Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: The authoress would just like to say…that this story is continuously being edited over and over from time to time, so if you would like to view the changes in the past chapters (which she thinks would be wonderful), please go right ahead. And now she will stop talking about herself in the third person and go on with the story.**

Disclaimer: I doubt anyone writing in actually has any ownership rights to RK, but I think we all deliriously think we own Kenshin in our sick little minds…erm.

Chapter 10: Veritas

There were, Kaoru found, several things you could say if you were sitting in front of the woman whose fiancé you were now pretending to be romantically involved with. Instead, however, as her eyes examined the tall, poised woman, Kaoru heard the words from her mouth as if she were watching from far away.

"That's a beautiful necklace," she murmured, causing the other woman to smile faintly.

"Thank you, Kaoru-san. My brother gave it to me after…"She shook her head, still smiling. Kaoru noticed her fingering the rim of her coffee cup almost pensively. "Nevermind," Tomoe said, still smiling. She shifted her eyes to the tabloid Kaoru was still holding. "I see you just finished reading it." She took a sip of her beverage. "What do you think?"

Kaoru sifted through the myriad angry thoughts running about wildly in her head. "Well, I would really like to commend whoever wrote this crap, because at least the grammar is acceptable, and I'm flattered I've once again been given the privilege of being on the front page, although that doesn't necessarily mean that I don't want to disembowel the people who are behind this and then later on throw their remains into the bloody ocean where sharks can feed off them."

Her companion chuckled briefly before straightening. "Yes, I understand. That's how I felt about tabloids when I first entered the musical industry, too. But you'll get used to it, you'll see."

Kaoru sighed with a pout. "I'm afraid I don't see that happening anytime soon. Mou, it's so unfair how Kenshin can just breeze past all of it." She started to laugh, but stopped when she saw the sad smile on Tomoe's face.

"I know this is hard for you," The singer said quietly, taking Kaoru's hand in both of hers. "But I cannot express enough how glad I am that Kenshin has moved on. Kenshin…Kenshin has never really been a very happy person, and I'm afraid our break up didn't do much to help that fact. But I still care for him; I suppose I always will. I just want him to be happy, you know?"

Kaoru nodded, unable to look away from Tomoe's eyes as the other woman continued to talk. "Like I said, this must be hard for you, but please, please don't give up on whatever the two of you have. You seem like a very spirited person, and that's just what Kenshin needs in his life."

She squeezed Kaoru's hand just as she opened her mouth to interrupt. "I know we don't really know each other, but…but I feel that you can help, that you can do something…I just need to ask you…to…to please take care of him for me, Kaoru-san. Promise to love him and take care of him. Please?"

'_Promise to love him and take care of him?'_

Kaoru almost blanched. How could she do such a thing, when she and Kenshin were only pretending to be in love? Should she tell Tomoe the truth? On the other hand, Kenshin hadn't been too excited when he found out Misao knew about the set up…Then again surely Kenshin trusted Tomoe enough to keep something like this a secret. But was she the right person to tell Tomoe? Wouldn't it be better if Kenshin himself told her?

"I…"

Love him and take care of him?

"I know it will be hard…He has his faults, I know," Tomoe said gently, her face acquiring a look of fondness for the subject of their conversation.

'_I'm sure if I reason enough with Kenshin, he'll understand and will be the one to explain to her…until then…'_

"I promise…"

'_Relax, Kaoru…love comes in many forms…you could still love him in the platonic sense, couldn't you? Maybe even like an older brother…? As for taking care of him…well he's practically your friend now, right? Friends take care of one another…'_

Tomoe continued to smile and rose to leave. She turned to Kaoru before finally stepping out, however. "I appreciated the time, Kaoru-san. Please bear in mind what I said. I hope everything turns out well for you."

And with that, she left.

**M.S.10.**

Soujirou yawned.

It was half-past midnight, his clock told him, but he just could not help but suddenly crave a cup of hot tea. Rising from under the covers, Soujirou made a mental note to be extra quiet so as not to wake Kaoru in the other room. His cousin was bound to be tired from all her work.

He was already halfway into the kitchen when he noticed the lights had already been turned on, and rubbing an eye he searched her face, his other hand reaching out to the refrigerator door, out of habit more than anything. "Kaoru? Is anything wrong? Why're you up so late? I thought you said your shoot was scheduled to end early tonight so it would give you a chance to hit the sack early."

Before she could answer, he pulled away from the fridge and moved to sit beside her around their kitchen table. She saw him eyeing the tea she had made for herself, and stood up to pour him a cup as well. Soujirou nodded her his thanks and reached for the cream.

"I just have a lot of things on my mind," his cousin told him, her voice bleary as she blew on the hot liquid before sipping it.

"Work?"

"I guess you could say that."

Soujirou finished adding cream to his tea, stirred it, and then looked up at her. "Is something bothering you? They're not working you too hard there, are they?" He smiled, but behind it he could feel suspicion seeping through his mind.

Kaoru shook her head, chuckling wryly. "No, no, it's nothing like that." There was a short pause, in which Soujirou could almost hear the cogs in her mind moving as she sat there, pondering whatever it was in the depths of her hot tea.

He gave her a patient smile, willing to wait until she was ready to tell him.

"How valid can a promise be?"

Soujirou set his cup of tea down and gave her a puzzled grin. How valid could a promise be? He scratched his head. "Um. Well, aren't all promises supposed to be valid, Kaoru? I mean, if they're not, they wouldn't be promises, would they? They'd be—"

"Lies, I know." Kaoru sighed. "But…what if the person who made the promise meant something else?"

"What do you mean?"

'I mean…let's say Person A made the promise to Person B upon Person B's persuasion…but Person A has a different understanding of this promise as compared to Person B. What then? Isn't that more of a misunderstanding then, rather than a valid promise?"

"Well did person A deliberately misunderstand the promise?"

Soujirou watched as his cousin's face darkened momentarily. "And if Person A did?"

"Well…" Soujirou sipped his tea before answering. "Well then I think Person A has some explaining to do. Person A, I think, is then obligated to clear things up with Person B, right? Let's not forget that the latter still thinks the promise is valid and therefore expects it to be fulfilled. I think our Person A better explain before it's too late."

"But what if explaining things to Person B would entail Person A to divulge certain things? Things that Person A is not entirely in the position to divulge?"

Soujirou poured himself another cup of tea. His cousin was mulling over more things than he thought she was. "Wouldn't it be possible for Person A to just ask Person B's forgiveness for deliberately misunderstanding this promise? Without divulging too much information as to why?"

"But wouldn't Person A be obligated to explain why the promise was deliberately misunderstood in the first place? I mean, merely apologizing wouldn't fix it…there should at least be a reason, right?"

Soujirou sighed and for the first time, really looked at Kaoru. Her hair was held together in a messy braid, her pajamas were wrinkled and her robe looked as if she had just carelessly thrown it about her shoulders. Her usually cheerful blue eyes were filled with worry.

"A reason…yes; I suppose you're right. But you know, perhaps Person A is forgetting something." Soujirou gave Kaoru a smile which he hoped looked helpful enough.

"I think Person A is forgetting that he, or even she is not alone in all this. She has friends that are willing to help her. As for this whole promise-to-Person-B, I'm sure Person A can't be the only one involved. There has to be at least another individual in the story for things to get so complicated. Why doesn't Person A just slow down and ask someone else equally involved to help her out? Why doesn't she ask this other individual to help her explain things to Person B? Perhaps this individual could really help smooth things over? Perhaps this individual could be someone who _is_ in the position to divulge the information in order to help Person A out?"

His cousin gulped in a way that looked almost as if she had seen this answer coming along the whole time. "I just hope said individual will be up for it," She murmured. Then she smiled and stood up to hug Soujirou, who could only grin at her sudden change in attitude. "Thanks, Soujirou. You really helped me out!"

Her eyes wandered to the clock on the wall, and she let out a small cry. "Oh look how late it is! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to keep you up so long!"

Soujirou grinned and started to collect their teacups. "It's all right, Kaoru. We're both going to have to wake up earlier than usual this time, remember? I guess that makes us even, right? I'm just really sorry about this change in schedule."

Kaoru laughed and put an arm around him. "It's fine! I'm just glad to have you around. Now, we better get to bed. I'm dead tired!"

He shook his head as they both headed for their own rooms. Whatever her problem was, he sure hoped it would get fixed soon enough.

**M.S.10.**

The next day, Kenshin found himself walking around the set again, quite bored this time. It seemed as though taking an early morning walk around the studio would not entertain him this time as it usually would.

He walked past a plastic chair and was just about to take a turn before he realized who was sitting on it.

"Kaoru…?"

At the mention of her name, said person looked up, the once-annoyed and dare Kenshin think it—confused expression on her face replaced by a look of surprise.

"Kenshin! What are you doing here?" He raised his eyebrows before grabbing another chair and sitting next to her, the early morning sunshine showering them both in a yellow glow.

Why in the world was she staring at him like that? Like she half expected him to explode and turn into Tolkien's Sauron? "I could ask you that, too. You're not usually this early…save the time when you brought Misao here. May I ask why?"

Kaoru shrugged, arranging the pile of papers on her lap, which Kenshin recognized as the script. "Well Soujirou usually drops me off on time, but he realized he had an important meeting with some new client this morning and it wouldn't be finished by the time I need to get here, so I just asked him to drop me off earlier than usual." She grinned. "I'd drive myself, but we share a car and all, so…"

Kenshin smiled. "So you've settled for going through the script to pass the time?" "I guess you could say that." Suddenly her blue eyes widened, and almost reluctantly, she handed the script to him. "Erm. Would you like to help me? After all, it's part of our deal, right?"

Puzzled by her sudden shyness but not willing to show it, he nodded and took a look at the script. "Oro? Er, all right then. Which scene is this…?"

"The scene where my character breaks down because it's her father's death anniversary. She's kind of in a mess at this point, because her brother's not talking to her for some reason she doesn't know; also, she can't figure out what she feels for _your _character, and she's been failing some tests here and there. On top of that some girls in class were hinting that Rei only wants to get into her pants."

Kenshin listened to the all-too bland way she had told him all this and gave her a little smirk. "You don't sound pleased with your character. May I ask why?"

His companion sighed and tugged the end of her ponytail quite irritably. "Well…it's just that I guess this is where I'm really starting to see the difference between Sana and myself." She paused for a moment, her eyes examining the sky overhead.

"I lost my father too, you know, and sometimes I still feel depressed about it. I feel like I can't go on…or…I just feel like there's nothing to live for, you know? And then I get up, and I see my cousin…I see my friends and all that a new day has to offer, and…I pick myself up. It's not really easy, but I just hate having to portray a character who will be totally depressed for the next, oh I don't know…four scenes in a row. She doesn't even appreciate the fact that your character shows up and starts comforting her. She doesn't really know what's going on with herself—and neither do I! I have no idea how to portray this side of her. I mean, I've had to portray depressed people before…but…nothing like this."

Kenshin followed her gaze to the ever-brightening sky before speaking. "You know, one of the best parts about acting is that you get to be someone else for a little while. You have an excuse not to be yourself and to feel what it's like to be someone completely different. It's difficult at some point, but that's part of the challenge. I understand you, of course. I know how it feels to have to portray someone you don't really understand." Kaoru snorted, making Kenshin laugh.

For a moment she looked at him, and there was a short, almost uncomfortable pause before she shook her head. "Oh please…you've won awards and such…Don't tell me you ever had to struggle this much with a character."

"Actually, I remember a particular time when I just thought I wouldn't be able to rise up to the challenge, considering the fact that I knew nothing about what it would feel like, being the character. I was only a starter then. It was actually just a fifteen-minute long scene for a play. I'd really, really wanted to quit after getting the part I hadn't even auditioned for. The only reason why I even auditioned in the first place was because Hiko thought I had better get exposed to a live audience first. On the other hand, if I'd quit, I wouldn't have learned a valuable lesson. Fortunately, Hiko wouldn't let me back out, and I ended up playing the part."

"And pray tell who was this character you had to play?"

"A horny homosexual whose god was Angel from Rent."

He shook his head at the bubble of laughter that escaped her lips, looking away as he felt himself smiling as well. "Oh, I wish I could've seen it!" Kaoru exclaimed. Kenshin sighed. "I resent that." His eyes wandered to the script again, and he examined the lines carefully.

"If it helps, I have a difficult time understanding my character Rei sometimes as well. The script doesn't really expound on him; all we know is that he's been hiding his love for Sana since time immemorial and that he's a gifted musician. Half the time I'm not exactly sure whether he despises Sano's character because he is protective of Sana or because he hates all that Saezuri Mitoko's band stands for. He says he is close to his sister, Megumi's character, but he never really confides in her or anything."

Kenshin turned and noticed how Kaoru sat attentively in her seat, drinking in everything he was saying. "So then how do you do it?" She asked, suddenly leaning back on her chair as if she was trying to keep herself from sitting on the edge of her seat though Kenshin could see her eagerness to find out the answer.

Strange. She usually showed her knack for learning new things no matter what…

"Well for starters…I examine Rei's character closely. I try to see something in him that I think I need or want—something, a trait, even, that I think I can certainly use. In this case, it's his musical talent. I imagine all the things I'd do if I was not Kenshin Himura—and not Miyazawa Rei, either…just a completely new person…a stranger without a face, perhaps, with Rei's musical talent. And then, bit by bit, I input all of Rei's traits as the script describes him. In my mind, I'm molding him with me, the me who's the faceless person. Kenshin Himura, in this case, does not exist at all. The person who does exist, however, is the person who wants to do all these wonderful things with Rei's talents who is suddenly given a chance to be Rei, you see? And then…I am Miyazawa Rei…do you understand?"

She chewed her lip carefully, and Kenshin found himself entranced with how pink her lower lip became as she finished biting it. "I think I do…but I guess in this case I still need to find something in Sana that I like…" She looked up and he did as well, both of them suddenly noticing how more people had arrived and how much of the set had now been put up.

"Ah. I've finally found the two of you."

They both looked behind them to find Aoshi standing there, his expression hard to read as usual. "We have a cast meeting. Now. Same place as last time."

**M.S.10.**

As they entered the dining room, Kenshin noted that everyone else was already there. In fact, he thought the scene looked exactly as it did the last time, save the seating arrangements were a little different. That and the folders set out in front of everyone.

As soon as they reached the table, he took a seat and so did Kaoru, who for some reason did not seem too happy with the fact that she had to sit beside him. The only other empty seat had been the one at the head of the table, opposite Hiko, but that place had obviously been reserved for Aoshi. The director, however, remained standing.

"The folders that you see before each one of you," Aoshi said, his voice firm, "Is a contract—"

Sano groaned and started hitting the back of his head lightly on the top of the backrest. "Man, Aoshi! You know I _hate _signing these things! Besides, didn't we already go through all the paperwork for this movie? What's this for, then?"

"Maybe we'd actually figure that out if you hadn't interrupted him, Roosterhead." Megumi rolled her eyes before turning to Aoshi. "You were saying?"

"Thank you, Megumi. I was saying that the documents inside those folders actually form a contract—one that involves some… 'romantic' issues…" His eyes strayed to Kenshin and Kaoru, and though Kenshin felt surprised and confused, he knew better than to show it. Kaoru, on the other hand, almost fell off her chair.

"I'm sorry…?" His co-star's voice came out small and squeaky.

"Relax, Miss Kamiya." Aoshi said. "This is a contract of confidentiality. I want everyone in this room to sign it, with the understanding that absolutely no one else is to know that Miss Kamiya and Himura are only pretending to be lovers. We are going to sign all this together once I give the signal. I have no need to stress to you how important this is. If I find out that any one of you told an outsider about this…that person will immediately lose his or her part in the movie and will find himself or herself in a lawsuit."

Beside him, Kenshin sensed Kaoru tense.

Calmly, as with everyone else, Kenshin began to open the folder in front of him. "Relax," he murmured. "Misao was before the contract."

If anything, however, his words did not seem to have an effect on her. Still, she signed the contract just like everyone else after Aoshi gave them the signal.

Kenshin started to stand, making to follow the others who were on their way out when he noticed Kaoru calling after Aoshi before the man could take a step out of the room. Feeling curious, he felt himself walking towards them, frowning as he approached them.

"Listen…um. Shinomori-san," Kaoru said, giving him a small smile and showing no signs that she knew Kenshin had crept up beside her. "I…I kind of…told someone already about…"

"About us, Aoshi… Pretending to be lovers, that is," Kenshin finished for her and choosing to ignore the glare she sent his way. "I believe this person was your friend. Right, Kaoru?"

Kenshin stared at Aoshi directly in the eyes and mentally begged his friend to let Kaoru explain. The poor girl was obviously stressing lately. However, for a moment, Kenshin thought his friend was going to ignore his warning, but then the tall, seemingly cold man remained in their presence instead of walking away like Kenshin thought he would.

Kaoru nodded and gave Kenshin a sidelong glance. "That's right…she's my friend. And look, you don't know her, but…well you can trust her completely…I swear! Look, I didn't know you would issue a contract, and honestly if I'd known I wouldn't have said a word—"

"I understand."

"You have to believe me on this, I—" Kaoru stopped talking. "You what…?"

"I said I understand, Miss Kamiya. There really isn't anything we can do, is there? Bring your friend over tomorrow. I see that she, too, will now have to sign the contract as well. However, I expect not a single soul will ever know about it after her, is that understood?"

"Y-yes, of course…" She watched, transfixed as the director left the room. She turned to Kenshin with a wince.

"I guess you'll be seeing Misao again tomorrow…"

He gave her a small nod. She was acting differently today. Completely different. "I suppose so. I just hope she and Aoshi get along." "Mm. I guess…it'll be their first and last meeting anyway…it's not like she'll ever need to see him again, right?" She laughed nervously.

It took her approximately ten seconds to realize they had been standing there in complete silence after that.

Kenshin shrugged mentally. He still had tons of work to do. He was just about to walk away when—

"We need to tell Tomoe-san, Kenshin. We just have to!"

He turned around, his eyes wide as he watched Kaoru cover her mouth as if she, too, could not believe what she had just said.

'_Tell Tomoe…? What in the world is going on?'_

**A/N:**

**Damn. You know…this chapter came piecemeal…as in PIECE, BY PIECE, BY FREAKING PIECE. First, I wrote the Tomoe scene. Then, I stopped because I kind of got writer's block so I wrote The Open Door instead (A big thank you to all who reviewed), and then I wrote the second to the last scene with K and K…but before finishing it, I stopped again. Then, I decided to add the finishing touches to the Tomoe scene. Then I decided to squeeze Soujirou in. Then I had to finish the second to the last K and K scene before I did the cast meeting scene…I think I just died back there. Thank God I'm done…now it's time for me to be a Reader again, eagerly waiting for other people's fanfics to be updated…. Anyway, I am dead tired. Seriously. Won't you guys leave me a review…? And is anyone else wondering why Misao never told Kaoru about her grocery store meeting with Aoshi? I am…**


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